Train Rails In Aceh Are Badly Damaged, Minister Of Transportation Dudy Calls Repairs Will Be Old

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

Minister of Transportation (Menhub) Dudy Purwagandhi revealed that the railroad lines in the Aceh region suffered severe damage due to floods and landslides that occurred in the area.

Dudy said that because the damage was severe, the operation of the train in the area was stopped. He also said that the Directorate General of Railways of the Ministry of Transportation had not detailed how much damage to the total loss due to the location of the damage could not be accessed.

"Especially those in Aceh, the train line stopped operating, because indeed we cannot reach the train line for repairs," he said in a media briefing in Jakarta, Friday, December 5.

Regarding the repair time, Dudy said it would take quite a long time. Considering the location of the damage is still not accessible.

"We'll stop first because it's difficult to access the train line for repairs and it looks like the repairs will take a long time because the conditions are quite severe," he said.

For the train line in the North Sumatra region, Dudy said it had been repaired and could operate again. Likewise with the airport.

"Alhamdulillah, for North Sumatra for the rail transportation route, then all airports and transportation can operate properly," he said.

Previously, the Director General of Railways at the Ministry of Transportation Allan Tandiono directly checked the rehabilitation of the Medan-Binjai railway line which was affected by floods and landslides in North Sumatra Province, on Tuesday, December 2 in the Paya Geli area, Sunggal District, Deli Serdang Regency, North Sumatra.

Based on data in the field, infrastructure damage began on November 28, 2025, in the form of a subsidence of lanes with a depth of 10-10.5 meters along the length of 8,200 meters. The condition of the soil that was eroded by water caused the rail pads to hang so that the train operational services on the route were stopped for safety.

Allan said DJKA focused on repairs at Km 9+5/8 Lintas Medan-Binjai as a submerging critical point that was severe due to flood flares that have occurred since last week.

"A joint team from the Medan Railway Engineering Center (BTP) and KAI Regional Division (DIVRE) 1 and related stakeholders have been deployed along with a number of heavy equipment to optimally seek to restore this route," Allan said in an official statement.

Allan also said that several rehabilitation measures had been carried out in stages by the team in the field. He explained that intensive treatment began on November 29, 2025, focusing on strengthening the structure through adding rock (ballast) as well as repairing bearings and rail compressors.

The effort was then accelerated on November 30 by a joint team to speed up the recovery process. Until December 1, where the team carried out manual lane procurement as a pre-conditioned stage to ensure the foundation was completely solid before the Multi Tie Temper (MTT) facilities were deployed.

"Alhamdulillah, thanks to the hard work of the Medan BTP team and KAI DIVRE 1 as well as the elements involved, on Tuesday afternoon at 17.33 WIB, the Medan-Binjai route in Sunggal sub-district was connected and the Srilelawangsa train was able to pass safely," said Allan.

Allan said the public was able to return to using the Srilelawangsa train service while still paying attention to the latest information from the operator, in this case PT Railink.

Even though the route has been declared functional again, DJKA will continue to carry out strict monitoring and periodic evaluation of the soil conditions around the rail line considering the dynamic weather conditions.

In parallel, DJKA mobilizes officers and resources in the form of heavy equipment and materials to rehabilitate other damage points in areas affected by floods and landslides in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.

"We are committed to continuing to alert the field team to rehabilitate a number of damage points to other train lines in the affected areas due to this extreme weather, for the safety of train travel," Allan said.