Minister of Transportation Budi Karya: IKN Autonomous Tram is Confirmed to Operate Starting August 2024

Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi. (Photo: Doc. Ministry of Transportation)

Minister of Transportation (Menhub) Budi Karya Sumadi ensured that the autonomous tram or Autonomous Rail Transit (ART) will operate in August 2024.

The train will support the 79th Anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia in the capital city of Nusantara (IKN), East Kalimantan.

"The autonomous brem will certainly be operational in August 2024," he said in an official statement, Sunday, July 14.

Budi said the autonomous tram had been sent from China since early July 2024 and was scheduled to arrive at IKN by the end of this month.

"According to calculations, the expedition ship carrying the autonomous tram will arrive at Balikpapan Port and is scheduled to arrive at IKN at the end of July 2024 after the customs process is complete," he said.

After arriving at IKN, continued Budi, the autonomous tram component is planned to be assembled and starting to be tested internally. Then, preparations and joint testing will also be carried out, followed by the implementation of Proof of Concept (POC) in August 2024.

The plan, continued Budi, is that the showcase, aka the autonomous tram work will be held from October to December 2024.

"Hopefully this schedule can be realized according to plan, and autonomous trams in IKN can really inspire other cities in Indonesia in terms of developing smart transportation," he said.

Budi explained that autonomous trams are a leap in the use of new technology in the world of transportation in Indonesia, namely railless trains.

Autonomous trends are operated using batteries with the operation guided through the reading of road markings through sensors, so that these vehicles are effective in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and using fossil energy.

The National Axis Road to be traversed by autonomous trams has a very fine texture. This will certainly make the drivers and passengers who pass by comfortable," he explained.

Meanwhile, continued Budi, it has also been decided that the Ministry of PUPR will soon build a bus stop to support the operation of this Autonomous Tram.

"Interestingly, the bus stop to be built will not only be useful as a place to ride passengers, but will also function as a place to carry out charging," he said.