KAI Accelerates the Recovery of Train Lines in Sumatra after the Disaster

JAKARTA - PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) together with the government continues to take quick steps in handling and accelerating the recovery of railway infrastructure affected by disasters in the Sumatra region.

KAI President Director Bobby Rasyidin said that for five full days without stopping, KAI carried out intensive repairs on the train line to maintain the smooth distribution of logistics and community mobility in the midst of limited access to land transportation.

Bobby explained that the disaster caused infrastructure disruptions at 13 points spread across three main crossings, namely the Port-Medan, Medan-Binjai, and Tebing Tinggi.

The disruption began on Friday, November 28, 2025, and was immediately handled from the first day by deploying human resources, heavy equipment, and the implementation of technical engineering in the field.

"From day one, despite the very difficult field conditions due to high rainfall and limited access, the KAI team continued to work tirelessly. At the government's instruction to immediately restore public facilities, KAI together with the government carried out a silent quick recovery effort so that the railway line could return to function and serve the community," said Bobby in his statement, Sunday, December 21.

He added that the initial stage of pepper, KAI prioritizes a thorough assessment and emergency handling at the most affected points.

Bobby added that although not all lines could be passed normally, train travel and logistics distribution began to be carried out gradually one day after the incident and the recovery process continued until all lines were back in normal operation within five days.

He said the results of the field evaluation showed damage to infrastructure in the form of flood puddles, landslides, and gogosan due to the heavy flow of water.

According to him, the handling is carried out gradually according to the level and characteristics of the damage, with recovery times ranging from less than 24 hours to a maximum of five days.

Bobby said that the rapid recovery of the railway line provided great benefits for the community, especially when a number of land transportation routes could not be fully used.

"The train is one of the modes that the public can rely on to remain active while supporting logistics distribution," he explained.

In order to ensure that energy supply is maintained, KAI also increased the capacity of fuel oil (BBM) transportation.

He said the frequency of the fuel train trips was increased from two to four trips per day, with the volume of transportation increasing from an average of 1,428 kiloliters per day to around 1,632 kiloliters per day.

In addition, Bobby said that KAI Logistics also played a role in supporting the government's humanitarian efforts by distributing aid free of charge using trains that are integrated with sea and land transportation to Aceh.

"KAI will continue to collaborate with the government in accelerating post-disaster recovery, ensuring that the railway line is ready to support logistics distribution and community mobility," concluded Bobby.