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Govt defends decision to import trains from China instead of Japan
Critics have suggested the purchase of the Chinese Commuter Line trains, saying it may be linked to ongoing liabilities that Indonesia owes to China for financing the construction and operation of Whoosh.
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Commuter Line trains are parked at the KRL depot in Depok, West Java, on March 23, 2020. (JP/Riand Alfiandy)
T
he government has denied allegations of a potential conflict of interest behind the decision to import Chinese trains to replace aging Commuter Line rolling stock, particularly in relation to Whoosh, the China-backed Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail (HSR) project.
“No, there is no relation [between the projects],” Deputy State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Kartika Wirjoatmodjo told reporters on Wednesday.
PT Kereta Commuter Indonesia (KCI), a subsidiary of state-owned railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI), which operates the Commuter Line service, signed an agreement on Jan. 31 to purchase three trains for Rp 783 billion (US$49.69 million) from China.
Its counterpart is Chinese state-owned rolling stock manufacturer CRRC Sifang, whose parent company CRRC is responsible for supplying the Whoosh with Chinese electric multiple units (EMUs).
CRRC also has a 12 percent stake in PT KCIC, the Sino-Indonesia consortium responsible for Whoosh.
The imported trains would replace the aging fleet of the Greater Jakarta Commuter Line and help boost the capacity of the electric rail service.
KCI has determined that 10 old trains needed to be retired in 2023 and another 19 trains this year and it plans to retrofit most of the trains through state-owned train manufacturer PT INKA.
