KAI Is Ready To Open Garut-Yogyakarta Train Service If Requested

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - PT Kereta Api Indonesia Operation Area 2 Bandung is ready to open a mass transportation service for trains from the Garut-Yogyakarta Station if there is a large enough demand from the public.

"If in the future the needs must be increased or require another route of departure, for example to Yogyakarta, we will prepare it," said Public Relations Manager of PT KAI Operation Area 2 Bandung Kuswardoyo, as quoted from Antara, Tuesday, December 21.

He said that in the early stages, after the government allowed the operation of the Garut-Cibatu railway line, it was planned that the Purwakarta-Cibatu Railway would continue to Garut Station.

"So far, the plan is to run from Cibatu-Garut, it is a continuation of the local train which is Cibatu-Purwakarta, so we will pull it to Garut," he said.

In addition to the local Cibatu-Purwakarta train, said Kuswardoyo, the Garut-Pasar Senen Train is planned to be operated, so that there will be two round-trip trains at Garut Station.

"There is one more train that we will run from Garut to Pasar Senen, there is no need to change carriages immediately," he said.

In addition to operating the train service, in the future if there are many requests from the public for relations to other stations such as Yogyakarta, PT KAI will prepare it.

"Obviously we have to see what the market demand is like," he said.

He revealed that overall the facilities and infrastructure of the Garut-Cibatu Station rail line, which will then be connected to other stations, have been completed and are ready to be operated to provide public transportation services.

The rail line, each station has an internet network installed, the operator officers have also been prepared, just waiting for an operational permit from the government.

"Just waiting for the government's decision, in this case, the Director-General of Railways, regarding its operation," he said.

Regarding when to get an operational permit, Kuswardoyo admitted that he did not know for sure because it was the policy of the central government, PT KAI was only an operator which had been 100 percent ready so far.

"I don't know yet, because everything goes back to the government, not to us, in principle it is 100 percent ready," he said.