Deputy Speaker of the DPR encourages the acceleration of Commuter KRL to Karawang and Cikampek

JAKARTA - Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Saan Mustopa, encouraged the acceleration of the extension of the Commuter Line KRL service to Karawang Station and Cikampek Station. Because according to him, the addition of the KRL route to the two stations is a need of the community, especially those who work in Jakarta.

This was conveyed by Saan after reviewing the readiness of infrastructure in Cikampek, Karawang Regency, West Java, yesterday.

Saan explained that until 2025, the KRL service is still operating until Cikarang Station and has not reached Karawang and Cikampek. According to him, this condition is not due to low community needs, but due to the fact that the Cikarang-Cikampek-Karawang line has not been electrified.

"KRL today has only reached Cikarang. We want to continue to Karawang and Cikampek, because the need is real," said Saan in his statement, Wednesday, December 24.

The head of the DPR RI Industry and Development Coordinator (Korinbang) added that the line from Cikarang to Cikampek has a distance of about 40 kilometers and is currently included in the electrification plan. The DPR RI, said Saan, wants to ensure that the plan does not just stop at the design, but is actually realized.

"The design is already there, the plan is already there. Now it's just how we accelerate," he said.

According to the NasDem Legislator from the West Java VII District, the extension of the KRL is important considering that Karawang is a national industrial area with very high worker mobility. He said, many people in Karawang work in Bekasi and Jakarta, and vice versa.

"If the KRL enters, people's mobility will be much more efficient," he said.

Saan ensured that the DPR RI was committed to monitoring cross-sector policies and coordination so that the KRL service to Karawang and Cikampek could be immediately realized and provide real benefits for the community. In addition, he said that the Cikarang-Cikampek railway electrification project is targeted to be completed in 2027.

"This project is the key to extending the Commuter Line KRL service to Karawang and Cikampek," he said.

Furthermore, Saan revealed that the electrification of the line along approximately 40 kilometers is part of the total electrification project of the railway line in West Java along approximately 80 kilometers. The investment value is estimated to reach IDR 2 trillion.

"What needs to be emphasized is that the financing is not using the state budget, but through corporate cooperation between KAI and PLN," he said.

According to him, this financing scheme shows the seriousness of SOEs to support the development of national public transportation. However, Saan emphasized the importance of certainty of time and solid coordination so that the 2027 target is not missed.

"Without a common roadmap, this target will be difficult to achieve optimally," he said.

He assessed that the electrification of the line was not only a technical project, but also part of a long-term strategy to increase transportation efficiency and reduce congestion and pollution. Therefore, the DPR RI will continue to monitor this project through its oversight function and policy support so that the process runs according to plan.

"KRL is not just about trains, but about the quality of people's lives," concluded Saan.