"The total length of rail tracks that have been built reaches 1,731.34 kilometers. They spread across various regions in Indonesia, which include the construction of dual-track, double-track, new tracks and reactivation," he said in a statement on Sunday.
He said that in the last 10 years, the Ministry of Transportation had successfully completed a number of railway infrastructure development and improvement projects.
In addition to construction and reactivation, the ministry has also improved and rehabilitated 1,900 kilometers spoor (km/sp) of railway lines in 25 locations, as well as electrified 522 km/sp lines.
As for the construction and rehabilitation of the railway sector during 2015-2024, the government has funded it with a budget of Rp223.870 trillion.
The government has provided a public service obligation (PSO) in the railway sector to PT Kereta Api Indonesia, during 2015-2024 with a total of Rp26.027 trillion.
"It shows the government's commitment to improving connectivity and accessibility of railway transportation throughout Indonesia," Sumadi said.
He further encouraged the development of technological innovation in improving the quality and capacity of the railway sector.
Various innovations have been made for the development of railways in Indonesia, including the Jakarta MRT, Jabodebek LRT as well as the Jakarta-Bandung Whoosh high-speed railway.
"(We) continue to innovate in service and technology, and improve performance to meet public expectations, because improved innovation can bring a good image to the development of transportation," he noted.
Regarding Whoosh, he claimed that the high-speed train—which reflects the achievement and pride of Indonesia—has become an international topic for its unique name.
According to him, the philosophy of "Whoosh" came from the sound of a high-speed train that could commonly pronounced, both by Indonesian and foreigners.
"About three weeks before it was launched, we looked for the name Whoosh which means fast as lightning. Foreign people such as from Singapore and Malaysia, were very impressed and they knew what the name Whoosh meant," Sumadi added.
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Translator: Muhammad Harianto, Yashinta Difa
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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