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House pushes govt on train import debacle
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Passengers wait for a Commuter Line train (KRL) at Manggarai Station in Jakarta on May 25, 2020. (Antara/Muhammad Adimaja)
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In a meeting with the State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Ministry on Wednesday, House Commission VI member Andre Rosiade explained that given the urgency, the government must come to a decision soon.
“For 2024, I’m in favor of retrofitting [the old trains] as we still have some time left while we should already have the [locally made] trains by 2025,” Andre said during the meeting. “But for 2023, what do we plan on doing? We must be quick in making a decision as the public desperately needs [a solution].”
Commuter Line operator PT Kereta Commuter Indonesia (KCI) plans to retire 10 trains this year due to old age and has filed a request to the government to import used Japanese trains as a replacement.
The plan, however, faced significant opposition from the Trade Ministry, the Industry Ministry and the House.
Gerindra politician Andre and fellow Commission VI member Evita Nursanty from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) have been the most vocal in their criticism, resulting in significant backlash from daily commuters on social media.
With COVID-19 social restrictions lifted, problems with packed commuter trains have since returned to the surface.
