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New tracks to be constructed for Jakarta-Surabaya railway
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Technicians check a new train at the Madiun railway station in East Java on June 2. (Antara/Siswowidodo)
The government has decided to construct new tracks for the medium-speed Jakarta-Surabaya railway connection, an official has said.
The Transportation Ministry’s railway traffic director, Zulmafendi, said the new tracks would use land owned by state-owned railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) and run parallel to the existing 700 kilometers of railway tracks in the northern coastal areas of Java.
The new tracks would cut the travel time to around four hours, Zulmafendi said in Jakarta on Monday, as reported by kompas.com.
“It will be less than five hours for sure,” he said, adding that there would be no railway crossings, because the rail tracks would be elevated to pass over roads.
He declined to mention the total investment needed for the construction project. The Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) in the past estimated that if the project only revitalized existing tracks, it would cost Rp 81.2 trillion (US$6.10 billion).
The ministry official made no mention of a partnering company in the construction of the projects, but it would likely use Japanese technology, as previously suggested by government officials. (bbn)
