"We are late in building mass transportation. In fact, that's a very basic thing to connect provincial cities and districts," he observed at the inauguration of the Makassar-Parepare line at the Maros Train Depot here on Wednesday.
As a mass transportation, a train is a very basic mode, the President said. Hence, when there is a railway construction, related parties must focus development on Sulawesi first, then Kalimantan, he added.
Widodo said he considers mass transportation very important for reducing the potential for people buying private vehicles, which can cause traffic jams, as seen in big cities in Indonesia.
He gave the example of the delay in the development of mass transportation in the city of Jakarta, which he said is 30 years late in building a railroad.
"Therefore, we really appreciate the construction of the Trans Sulawesi railway, even though the construction in the initial stages has only been carried out on the Makassar-Parepare line," he added.
However, in the future, the Trans Sulawesi railway project will reach Manado, North Sulawesi, the President informed.
After inaugurating the operation of the train at the Maros Depo, President Widodo and his entourage boarded the train to the Rammang-Rammang tourist destination, which is also a UNESCO-recognized geopark.
Meanwhile, another agenda was visiting a fishing village in Pakjukukang village, Bontoa sub-district, Maros district, South Sulawesi.
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Translator: Suriani Mappong, Katriana
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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