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Jakarta- Surabaya railway upgrade offered to Japan
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State-owned PT Kereta Api Indonesia provides inter-province train services. (Courtesy of PT KAI/File)
T
he government has offered the opportunity to invest in the construction of the medium-speed railway connecting Jakarta to Surabaya in East Java to foreign investors including Japan.
The government expects the upgraded line will shorten the trip to six hours from the current 13 hours using regular trains of state railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI).
Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said the government had offered Japan the opportunity to take part last week. The government will also offer this project to other countries, including China, who won the high-speed railway project linking Jakarta to Bandung, West Java.
"All will be given the opportunity to submit proposals, so Surabaya can be reached in six hours," Budi Karya said in Jakarta on Monday.
He said the offer to Japan was made because of the government's limited budget for transportation projects. Hence, the government invited foreign private firms to take part in the projects.
"We’re offering the opportunity to foreign private sector companies to participate, of course, with the government," he went on.
He said the medium-speed train would operate on the existing line, with the government planning to eliminate 1,000 level crossings from the track from Jakarta to Surabaya.
Earlier, during a working visit to Tokyo last Friday, Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan delivered the official letter offering the project to the Japanese government. (evi)
