Japanese Ex-Japanese KRL Imports Canceled, This Is KCI's Step To Meet Passenger Needs

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JAKARTA - The government has decided not to import the used KRL from Japan.

Responding to this decision, KAI Commuter as the operator of Commuter Line transportation services, continues to improve the reliability of facilities with routine maintenance to the addition of a fleet of facilities.

VP Corporate Secretary of KAI Commuter Anne Purba said, KAI Commuter has contracted with PT INKA to procure 16 new KRL facility trainers in order to increase the capacity to be sent in stages by 2025-2026.

Meanwhile, for the reimbursement with a conservation plan, 3 new KRL facilities will be carried out in 2024, 19 KRL facilities are retrofitting starting this year and bringing in 8 new KRL facilities in 2027.

This step was taken in a coordination meeting involving the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs, Ministry of SOEs, Ministry of Transportation, Ministry of Industry, BPKP, DJKA, PT KAI and also PT INKA which was led directly by Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan on Wednesday, June 21.

"Thus, a total of 24 new trainsets will be imported from PT INKA until 2027. This is a form of KAI Commuter's support for domestic KRL production, which will certainly continue to grow," he said in an official statement, Sunday, June 25.

In the process of all procurement of KRL facilities, said Anne, in addition to funding from PT KAI and KAI Commuter, there is also an option for Government support through State Equity Participation (PMN).

Furthermore, Anne said this PMN is very important for improving services to users in the future and supporting the production of domestic KRL facilities.

"This continues to be studied and coordinated with stakeholders including the impact on PSO which we are calculating and reviewing," he said.

Anne also said that KAI Commuter together with PT KAI (Persero) as the Company's Parent routinely continues to coordinate with PT INKA regarding the process of procuring facilities through the retrofitting scheme or the scheme for procuring new facilities produced by PT INKA to ensure that the entire procurement process does not interfere with the operation and service of the Jabodetabek Commuter Line.

RI Cancels Imports Of Used KRL

Previously, it was reported that the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment (Menko Marves) Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan ensured that Indonesia would not import a series or trainset of the former electric train (KRL) from Japan.

This decision, said Luhut, was taken after he held a meeting with relevant stakeholders regarding the plan to import the former KRL from Japan.

"We have closed the KRL, we will not import it," he said at KCJB Halim Station, Jakarta, Thursday, June 22.

When asked about how to anticipate a spike in the density of KRL passengers, Luhut said there was no problem. He said the decision to refuse imports was taken with careful calculations.

"For the needs, there are no problems, we have calculated everything we exercise, there are experts there and they explained yesterday that all obstacles could be resolved," he said.

Even so, Luhut said, there are plans to import a new series of trains. The plan, there are three new trainsets or train sets that will be brought to Indonesia to cover the needs of these two critical years.

As is known, initially the plan to import used KRL from Japan was carried out as a short-term solution to replace 10 train sets or trainsets that will retire this year and 19 trainsets in 2024.

"But we will only import 3 new ones. To cover it, but it will take 1-2 years. So the criticality is that it will be in the next year until 2025," he explained.