The Jakarta Post
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsKAI launches Rp 11 trillion railway reactivation project in West Sumatra
The West Sumatra project is part of a broader plan by KAI to develop a trans-Sumatra railway network connecting Banda Aceh, at Sumatra Island’s northern tip, with Bandar Lampung in the south.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
The E1060 “Mak Itam” locomotive carries tourists in Sawahlunto, West Sumatra, on Aug. 26, 2025. The German-made steam rack locomotive is reused to transport tourists, but it is not operational and can only be pushed or pulled by the vintage BB 303 locomotive. (Antara/Iggoy el Fitra)
T
he government launched on Tuesday an Rp 11 trillion (US$660 million) railway reactivation project in West Sumatra to expand public transportation access and reduce regional disparities in railway services, particularly outside Java.
Bobby Rasyidin, president director of state railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) said the initiative followed repeated instructions from President Prabowo Subianto to distribute railway services more evenly across the archipelago.
“We have received repeated instructions from the President to ensure a more equitable distribution of railway services across Indonesia,” Bobby said during a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday as quoted by state news agency Antara.
He noted that Java currently has around 7,000 kilometers of operational railway lines, while the total outside Java remains below 1,000 km, despite roughly half of Indonesia’s population living outside Java.
“Sumatra has around 900 km of operational railway lines, of which just 84 km are in West Sumatra, down from approximately 280 km previously,” Bobby said.
As the first phase of the program, KAI plans to reactivate the 15.3-km railway section connecting Kayu Tanam and Padang Panjang in West Sumatra.
Construction is expected to begin in early 2027, following the completion of feasibility studies and other technical assessments. The Rp 11 trillion reactivation program is expected to take three to four years to complete.
