The demand needs to be reviewed, whether it is like some time ago or not, since the current and future condition will be different.Jakarta (ANTARA) - Transportation expert Djoko Setijowarno has asked the railway directorate general at the Transportation Ministry to review the Jakarta-Semarang high-speed train construction project in view of changing travel patterns. “The demand needs to be reviewed, whether it is like some time ago or not, since the current and future condition will be different,” Setijowarno told ANTARAhere on Friday.
The Jakarta-Semarang-Surabaya high-speed train project was initiated five years ago and was to be built in cooperation with Japan at a cost of Rp70 trillion, but no deal was achieved, he noted.
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The project aimed to shift airplane passengers to trains, he said.
Now, the movement of airplane passengers from Jakarta to Central Java or East Java has declined, so the project needs to be reviewed, according to Setijowarno.
“The flight traffic from Jakarta to Semarang and Jakarta to Surabaya was so high back then, but currently, it has decreased. Flights in Java Island nowadays are not as interesting as they were before the pandemic,” he remarked.
People moving from Jakarta to Semarang or Surabaya have partially switched to private cars due to the presence of the Trans-Java toll road, he explained.
In addition, the travel time of existing long-distance trains is relatively fast, he said.
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The community and advocacy division head at Indonesia’s Transportation Community (MTI) warned that the government’s plan to move the state capital to East Kalimantan will reduce passenger movement.
“The main point is that the demand should be recalculated whether it is still high or not due to the changed travel patterns in Java Island,” he noted.
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Translator: Adimas Fahky, Juwita Trisna
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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