Minister Of Transportation Budi Karya: 1,731 Km Of Train Built For The 2015-2024 Period

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

Minister of Transportation (Menhub) Budi Karya Sumadi stated that he had built a train line along the 1,731 km of railway lines that had been built in Indonesia during the 2015-2024 period to increase connectivity and community mobility.

"The total length of the train lines that have been built has reached 1,731.34 kilometers, spread across various regions in Indonesia, which includes the construction of double dwi lines, double lines, new routes, and reactivation," said the Minister of Transportation in a statement in Jakarta, quoted from Antara, Monday, September 20.

During the two periods of President Joko Widodo's administration, since 2015 the Ministry of Transportation has built and reactivated 1,731 km/sp of railway lines in 55 locations throughout Indonesia.

The Minister of Transportation conveyed this when attending the 79th Anniversary of PT. Kereta Api Indonesia (PT. KAI) in Bandung, September 38 evening.

He said that in the last nearly 10 years, the Ministry of Transportation has succeeded in completing a number of construction projects and improving rail infrastructure.

In addition to development and reactivation, the Ministry of Transportation has also increased and rehabilitated 1,900 km/sp of train lines in 25 locations, as well as electrified 522 km/sp of lanes.

As for the construction and rehabilitation of the railway sector during 2015-2024, the government has funded a budget of IDR 223.870 trillion.

The government has also provided public service obligation (PSO) as a form of public service for the railway sector to PT Kereta Api Indonesia, during 2015-2024 with a total of IDR 26.027 trillion.

"This shows the government's commitment to increasing connectivity and accessibility of rail transportation throughout Indonesia," added the Minister of Transportation.

The Minister of Transportation also encouraged the development of technological innovation in improving the quality and capacity of the railway sector.

Various innovations have been made for the development of railways in Indonesia, including three mass transportation, both urban and inter-city, which are currently operating, namely MRT Jakarta, LRT Jabodebek and the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train.

"Continue to innovate in services and technology, as well as improve performance in order to meet people's expectations, because enhanced innovation can bring a good image to transportation development," said the Minister of Transportation.

RegardingASH, the Minister of Transportation said that this fast train has become a fruit of international lips.

He reminisced about the origin of the naming of God Almighty, which is an acronym for 'Efficient Time, Optimal Operation, Handal System'.

The philosophy of "Whoosh" comes from the singing of a common high-speed train, both by the Indonesian people and internationally.

The Minister of Transportation said that the naming ofASH was the result of a limited competition for identity design made by the assessment team.

The assessment team was chaired by Triawan Munaf, who has conducted an assessment since July 2023. Meanwhile, the leaders of this Competition are Minister of State Secretary Pratikno, Minister of SOEs Erick Thohir, and Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi.

"At the direction of President Joko Widodo, we need to provide an identity that reflects the values of the Fast Train which is Indonesia's achievement and pride," said the Minister of Transportation.

"About three weeks before it was launched, we were looking for the name bettersh which means fast like lightning. Abroad like Singapore and Malaysia they were amazed and they knew what the name bettersh meant," added the Minister of Transportation.