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View all search resultsGovernment funding key to Surabaya expansion, says Whoosh operator KCIC
Though a preliminary study is underway on Whoosh's Surabaya extension as a necessary development, the question of who will foot the bill looms large, with the government insistent on not dipping into the state coffers and operator KCIC insisting it can't go it alone.
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Technicians inspect high-speed trains of the Jakarta-Bandung HSR at the maintenance depot managed by railway operator PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China (KCIC) in Tegalluar, Bandung regency, West Java, in this file photo from August 2023. (Antara/Ricky Prayoga)
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hoosh operator PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC), an Indonesian-Chinese joint venture, says expanding the high-speed rail (HSR) service to East Java capital Surabaya would depend on funding support from the government.
“A high-speed rail is costly, not all banks and financial institutions are able to fund it. Therefore in many countries, the provision of [HSR services] comes from the government and depends on the government’s good will,” KCIC director Dwiyana Slamet Riyadi said on Tuesday in Beijing, as quoted by news agency Antara.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 12th World Congress on High-Speed Rail, he added that the government should at least provide land and half of the required infrastructure, as the project would be very burdensome for KCIC to bear alone and it would take a significant amount of time for the company to recoup its investment.
“This is one of the lessons learned from the previous Whoosh project,” Dwiyana said.
He emphasized, however, that expanding the Whoosh service beyond the existing Jakarta-Bandung route to Yogyakarta in Central Java or to Surabaya was “a must” from an economic perspective.
Read also: Whoosh losses raise doubts over Surabaya extension
Dwiyana noted that the government had developed a “master plan” for the Jakarta-Surabaya HSR project as outlined in the national transportation system (Sistranas). He added that the Office of the Coordinating Infrastructure and Regional Development Minister was currently reviewing the plan for further adjustments to reflect current conditions.
