T

he government has instructed PT Railink, the operator of the rail line connecting Kualanamu International Airport and Medan in North Sumatra, to extend the railway track farther west to the city of Binjai.

The instruction was conveyed by Transport Minister Ignasius Jonan to the management of Railink during his recent visit to Medan railway station. PT Railink is a joint-venture subsidiary of state railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) and state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II (AP II).

Jonan said the airport-railway service would be extended to Binjai given the high public interest in using the transport mode. Thus, the airport-railway line would not only serve Kualanamu to Medan, but also Kualanamu, Medan and Binjai.

“I hope the route extension from the airport to Binjai will be in operation by the second half of 2017,” said Jonan during a meeting with the entire management of PT KAI and Railink at Medan’s main train station on Saturday.

Jonan said after the completion of the route extension from the airport to Binjai, his ministry would build airport rail services in Padang, West Sumatra; Palembang, South Sumatra and Jakarta.

PT Railink president director Heru Kuswanto said the route extension from Kualanamu to Binjai would make the railway line span 50 kilometers.

“Currently, the Kualanamu to Medan route is only 28 km,” said Heru on Sunday.

Heru added the extension project would commence with the construction of a 8-km long elevated track passing the city of Medan. Later, he said, the airport train would travel on the elevated track and stop at Medan train station. He added that the 8-km elevated track was for the Railink airport train, while regular trains would travel along the existing railway line.

Heru explained that in addition to building the elevated track, the government would also revitalize tracks between Medan to Binjai and renovate the Binjai train station and build a special platform for the airport train there.

Heru said the railway extension project would be carried out by the Transportation Ministry’s railway directorate general (DJKA) for North Sumatra. He added that the government expected the route extension could improve public services through rail-based public transport and curb traffic congestion on the highway between Binjai, Kualanamu and Medan airport.