KCI Not Approved By Imports Of Former Japanese KRL, Ministry Of Transportation Opens Voice

PT Kereta Commuter Indonesia (KCI) still has not received a recommendation from the Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) regarding the import permit for used trains from Japan, to date.

Responding to this, the Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) through the Directorate General of Railways (DJKA) expressed support for the rejuvenation of electric train facilities (KRL) which is being carried out by PT KCI by importing used trains.

This support was conveyed in the form of a technical recommendation letter issued by the Director General of Railways dated 19 December 2022.

"The procurement of this facility must be carried out immediately to replace several series of trains that will be retired in 2023-2024, considering the age of use that has been too long," said Ministry of Transportation Spokesperson Adita Irawati in a written statement, Wednesday, March 1.

Apart from being driven by the age factor of facilities, said Adita, the need to procure used train imports from Japan has emerged to accommodate passenger growth.

Based on data reported by PT KCI, the realization of the highest passengers before the pandemic had touched 336.3 million passengers in 2019. The number of passengers is projected to continue to increase to 523.6 million people by 2040.

To accommodate this growth, efforts are needed to increase the carrying capacity of 436 million passengers by 2023, to 517 million people by 2026.

Adita realized that there was another need in the procurement of this railway facility, namely the use of domestic products, with the use of PT Industri Kereta (IKA) products. "However, there needs to be a temporary solution to overcome the surge in KRL passengers until INKA products are completed and can be used to serve," he said.

He explained that the production period for new KRL train facilities by INKA took 2-3 years from this time. "So, the KRL facilities are not only a wise choice in our opinion, while waiting for the production results from INKA to be completed," said Adita.

In this regard, Adita emphasized that one of his party's recommendations for the procurement of KRL facilities is not new because KCI must ensure the feasibility of safety-related facilities components.

"If it is decided later that a new facility procurement will be carried out, we hope that PT KCI can also pay attention to components, such asbogie, wheels, electricity, and braking so that they can be repaired or replaced with new components," he added.

Adita reminded that the first test and the issuance of operational eligibility certificates must go through procedures and provisions set by the Ministry of Transportation's DJKA.

He also appealed to non-new facilities imported from Japan to be revitalized using domestic production components, thus continuing to support local industries.