In 2022, the national priority target is to strengthen infrastructure to support economic development and basic services through major projects
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Director-General of Railways at the Ministry of Transportation Zulfikri said that based on the government's work plan, the Ministry has three priority railway projects in 2022.

"In 2022, the national priority target is to strengthen infrastructure to support economic development and basic services through major projects," Zulfikri said during a public hearing with Commission V of the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

He explained that the three priority projects are first, the construction of the Makassar-Parepare railway in the Marros-Barru District segment, at a length of 59,6 kilometers, along with the siding train from Mangilu-Tonasa at 1,5 kilometers.

Second, the construction of high-speed trains in Java, including Jakarta-Semarang railways and Jakarta-Bandung railways.

The work includes building the emplacements of the Padalarang Station and Bandung Station for the Jakarta Bandung Fast Train (KCJB) connection, assisting the implementation of the basic design of the additional Jakarta-Surabaya railway, and operating facilities for the Padalarang Station.

The third project is the development of a mass public transportation system in six metropolitan areas, including the construction of the Medan-Binjai flyover in Medan, Binjai, Deli Serdang, and Karo (Mebendaro), then the Kiaracondong-Cicalengka double track in Greater Bandung, and a number of railway facility projects in the Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi (Jabodetabek) areas.

"The Directorate General of Railways has received a budget allocation ceiling for 2022 of Rp 6,72 trillion. Then, in order to mitigate the impact of COVID-19, there is an automatic adjustment of Rp 155,93 billion," Zulfikri noted.

Furthermore, he conveyed that apart from the development and improvement of the railway infrastructure, the Ministry also prioritized short-haul train service programs in a number of regions.

These include subsidies for the Krueng Geukeuh-Kuta Blang route, Tebing Tinggi-Kuala Tanjung route, Binjai-Besitang route, Lubuk Alung-Kayu Tanam route, Airport Train for the Minangkabau International Airport, the Sumatra LRT subsidy, the Makassar-Pare Pare railway, and the subsidy for the Purwosari-Wonogiri route.

"We will accelerate the program development by coordinating with all stakeholders. In addition, we will also improve the quality of spending so that the budget will be efficient, while improving monitoring, evaluation, and internal control," he noted.

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Translator: Adimas Raditya F P, Resinta S
Editor: Sri Haryati
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