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Indonesia-Japan to conduct joint survey on medium-speed railway project
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Observe attentively – Coordinating Maritime Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan (third from right) listens attentively to inquiries raised by lawmakers during a work meeting at the House of Representatives in Jakarta on Sept.22. (Antara/Puspa Perwitasari) (Antara/Puspa Perwitasari)
T
he Indonesian and Japanese governments will conduct a joint survey on the construction of a medium-speed railway connecting Jakarta and Surabaya, East Java, a senior minister has said.
Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said it was expected the construction of the railway project, which would require an investment of between US$2.5 billion - $3 billion, could begin in the first quarter of 2017.
“The medium-speed railway will have a tremendous impact on our economy. The survey is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2017, or the second quarter at the latest,” said Luhut on the construction project officially offered to the Japanese government during his visit to Tokyo, Japan, last week.
He was speaking after his meeting with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo at the State Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Luhut said the project was part of the government’s efforts to revitalize the existing Jakarta-Surabaya railway, which would be developed into a medium-speed railway with a capacity of 200 km per hour. The revitalization project included the elimination of 1,000 level crossings along the 725 km-long railway.
Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said it was expected that the medium-speed train could reduce travel times between Jakarta and Surabaya to only six hours from 11 hours. (ebf)
