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Railway firm purchases 438 train cars to replace 30-year-old models
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An officer of state-owned railway operator PT KAI checks the condition of a train car from Argo Parahyangan, serving the Jakarta-Bandung route. (tempo.co/Prima Mulia)
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tate-owned railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) is purchasing 438 train cars from state-owned train car maker PT Industri Kereta Api (INKA) to replace models that had been operational for about 30 years.
“We need to replace the trains that have been used for 30 years. This year, we purchased 438 train cars from INKA,” PT KAI finance director Didiek Hartantyo said in Jakarta as reported by kompas.com on Thursday.
Previously, the company said it needed to replace about 1,000 train cars to assure better services, such as safety and convenience for passengers, as well as for efficiency in the company’s operational costs.
Read also: KAI to raise Rp 2t from first corporate bond issuanceDidiek stressed that the replacement of old train cars would be carried out in stages in accordance with the company’s financial capability.
He said that currently, KAI relied heavily on INKA to meet the need for train cars.
“We purchase all [our train cars] from INKA, including 10 trains to operate from the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang to downtown Jakarta,” he added.
This year, PT KAI is issuing bonds to collect some Rp 2 trillion (US$148 million), 55 percent of which will be used to complete the airport train project, while the remaining is set to procure rolling stock. (bbn)
