KRL Wants To Be Connected To Karawang, KAI Ready To Provide Facilities

President Director of KAI Didiek Hartantyo. (Photo: Mery Handayani/VOI)

JAKARTA - PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) or KAI admits that they are ready if assigned by the Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) to continue the Jabodetabek KRL to Karawang, West Java route. One of them is preparing the necessary facilities, namely KRL.

KAI President Director Didiek Hartantyo said infrastructure development was the government's decision and authority, in this case the Ministry of Transportation.

Including the discourse on extending the KRL to Karawang route, West Java.

"So infrastructure is the government's business," he told reporters in Manggarai, Jakarta, Thursday, December 28.

According to Didiek, the main thing that needs to be prepared to open the KRL to Karawang route is to build electrification. Meanwhile, the construction of the electric train track infrastructure is the responsibility of the government.

"So we follow the electrification. This means that if we build electrification, we prepare the KRL. In the past, Rangkasbitung was the same," he explained.

Previously reported, the Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI) assessed that the extension of the Jabodetabek Commuter Line KRL line to Karawang could be done. However, several things need to be done. One of them is about electrification of the train line.

For your information, so far the new KRL has arrived in Cikarang. Meanwhile, to get to Karawang, passengers need to continue their journey by changing to a local train mode.

The General Chairperson of MTI Tory Damantoro admitted that he supports the plan to extend the train line to Karawang by looking at the needs of the people of Karawang. He said that many Karawang people need to go back and forth to Jakarta and its surroundings.

"I think when we talk about need, we will definitely need it, especially friends in Karawang, because Jabodetabek cannot be separated from its activities. Indeed, it is to connect to Jakarta the most comfortable if it is served by urban trains," he said in the 2023 MTI Year End Note, in Jakarta, Wednesday, December 27.

However, Tory said a number of things needed to be done so that the addition of this service could run optimally. For example, there must be further line electrification to Karawang. This includes reviewing schedule arrangements.

"The question can be done or not? You can do it if you want it to be extended. But there must be more path electrification, then the schedule arrangement," said Tory.