KAI: Restoration of the Railway Line Affected by the Sumatra Disaster is Carried Out Nonstop

JAKARTA - KAI President Director Bobby Rasyidin stated that the recovery of the train line affected by the disaster in Sumatra was carried out nonstop in 5×24 hours with the government to ensure that train services are safe and reliable.

"For 5×24 hours nonstop, KAI is intensively restoring the line to ensure that logistics distribution and community mobility are maintained in the midst of limited access to land transportation," said Bobby as stated in Jakarta, Sunday.

Bobby said that the disruption of railway infrastructure due to the disaster occurred at 13 points on three main lines, namely the Pelabuhan-Medan, Medan-Binjai, and Tebing Tinggi crossings.

He said the disaster occurred on Friday, November 28, 2025, and since the first day KAI immediately handled the affected infrastructure by deploying personnel, heavy equipment, and technical engineering in the field.

"From the first day, even though the field conditions were very difficult due to high rainfall and limited access, the KAI team continued to work tirelessly," said Bobby.

At the instruction of the government to immediately restore public facilities, continued Bobby, 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.

In the initial phase, KAI focused on a thorough assessment and emergency handling at critical points. Although not all lines can be passed normally, travel and logistics distribution have begun to be carried out gradually since H+1.

"The effort is carried out consistently until all lines return to normal operation within 5×24 hours," he explained.

He further said that the results of the examination showed infrastructure problems in the form of flood puddles, landslides, and gogosan due to erosion by water flow. The handling was carried out gradually according to the characteristics of the damage in the field, with a recovery time ranging from less than 24 hours to a maximum of five days.

According to Bobby, the acceleration of the recovery of this route has a significant impact on the community, especially when a number of land access roads are still closed or have not fully recovered.

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

On the side of fuel distribution, KAI ensures that fuel distribution continues to run by increasing transportation capacity.

The number of fuel train trips has been increased from two to four trips per day, with the volume of transportation increasing from an average of 1,428 kiloliters per day to about 1,632 kiloliters per day, in order to maintain the smooth supply of people's vital needs.

In the logistics sector, KAI Logistik also supports the government through the distribution of free humanitarian assistance using train modes 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," said Bobby.