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Investor Daily - Jalan Terjal Reaktivasi Jalur Kereta Api
25 April 2025
By Heru Febrianto
Jakarta, ID — The government's efforts to reactivate railway lines in West Java face several challenges, one of which is the substantial infrastructure and operational costs amidst budget tightening. The reactivation of railway lines has significant potential to boost the economy and the tourism sector, especially for destinations with tourism potential like Pangandaran.
This was conveyed by the Minister of Transportation, Dudy Purwagandhi, after attending a working meeting with Commission V of the House of Representatives (DPR) regarding the evaluation of infrastructure and transportation implementation during the 2025 Eid al-Fitr homecoming and return flow, in Jakarta, Wednesday (23/4).
Therefore, the Minister of Transportation fully supports the plan of the Governor of West Java, Dedi Mulyadi, who wants to reactivate railway lines, including the Bandung-Pangandaran route, to stimulate the region's economic growth.
"We support it if it is considered one of the ways to boost the economy or tourism in West Java," said the Minister of Transportation.
Although he did not explain in detail the form of support from the Ministry of Transportation, Dudy emphasised that the step would be very positive if implemented to boost the regional economy.
As is known, the Governor of West Java, Dedi Mulyadi, revealed plans to revive several local railway lines in West Java. At least 11 lines are planned to be reactivated. He also revealed that the reactivation of the Bandung-Pangandaran railway line is the first focus of West Java Province, compared to other reactivation plans.
"Our closest reactivation is the railway line from Bandung to Pangandaran. Currently, it only reaches Banjar, and we are making it our first priority to complete," said Dedi Mulyadi in a press release.
He said that the West Java Provincial Government would maximise the tourism potential of West Java by utilising railways, which he said is the cheapest transportation. According to Dedi, railways can support tourism because they are mass transportation and traffic-free.
"Railways are actually the cheapest transportation method, it is mass transportation, and because it is mass transportation, it is easy to mobilise people," said Dedi.
Requires Rp15 trillion
Separately, the Regional Secretary of West Java, Herman Suryatman, revealed that the reactivation of railway lines in West Java is projected to require funds amounting to Rp15 trillion. This was revealed in communication between the West Java Provincial Government, PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) and the Directorate General of Railways of the Ministry of Transportation.
"For the reactivation of lines in West Java, the general need is approximately Rp15 trillion. This is just a projection, of course, there must be a detailed engineering design (DED)," said Herman as quoted by Antara in Jakarta, Thursday (24/4/2025).
According to him, several stakeholders will discuss further the conditions and situations of railway lines in West Java. Considering that currently, the railway tracks are covered by buildings and residential houses.
"The goal is to improve the economy of West Java by reactivating, of course, the field conditions are different, later together with the Ministry of Transportation and PT KAI we will map and find solutions. Clearly, the construction of this line is for the benefit of the community, and we will pay attention to the overall environment," he said.
For the priority railway lines to be reactivated, the plan is between the Cipatat-Padalarang, Banjar-Pangandaran, and Bandung-Ciwidey routes, and in Garut (Cikajang). However, Herman said, there will be further studies and prioritisation of accessibility support.
"This is still being studied because it must be reviewed from various aspects, for example, from the aspect of accessibility to places that are national strategic projects, then from the socio-cultural, demographic, and environmental aspects, so it is a multi-aspect that we must consider, but the DED will still be reviewed," he said.
According to Herman, the study will be followed by a budget review, including the source of funding. The West Java Provincial Government hopes that the reactivation budget allocation will come from the Ministry of Transportation through the Special Allocation Fund (DAK).
"The first alternative funding, of course, we hope from the central government through the DAK (Special Allocation Fund) and other central-to-regional transfer schemes. Then later, of course, how our fiscal capacity is to also ensure that the reactivation construction can run optimally," he said.
Faced with efficiency
The Deputy Chairman of the Regional Empowerment and Development of the Indonesian Transportation Society (MTT) Central, Djoko Setijowarno, stated that the plan to reactivate several railway lines in West Java is not new. The same thing was also proposed by the previous Governor of West Java, Ridwan Kamil. Due to insufficient budget support, only one line was built, namely the Cibatu-Garut route spanning 19.3 km with funding from PT Kereta Api Indonesia.
"Reactivating railway lines in West Java is not just about enthusiasm, but it requires strong determination and sufficient budget. Therefore, definite budget support is needed. If we use the Regional Budget (APBD), it will certainly not be enough. West Java Province still needs to build road networks in its areas that need to be completed immediately," Djoko told Investor Daily.
According to Djoko, building railway lines cannot rely on the private sector. Besides the investment being quite expensive, the government must also provide operational support. Without operational support, the private sector is not interested.
The academic from the Civil Engineering Study Programme at Soegijapranata Catholic University acknowledged that there are still many budget needs to build road infrastructure in West Java. There are still several road sections to remote areas of West Java that cannot be accessed by vehicles because the roads are still dirt and difficult to pass during the rainy season.
"Meanwhile, the central government, through the Ministry of Transportation, has cut the budget by more than 50%. Is it possible to reactivate railway lines in West Java amidst the budget efficiency of the Ministry of Transportation and the limited Regional Budget of West Java Province?" he added.
He added that building railway networks that have long been inoperative does not only rely on physical work. Another challenge is that several railway tracks and stations have been occupied and turned into residential areas.
"Therefore, it must involve the Ministry of Housing and Residential Area to provide new housing for residents affected by the reactivation. The housing should not be far from the current residence. If it is far, public transport access should still be provided. So that residents who live there can easily move to economic centres (markets)," he concluded.
Next article: Optimising sources of economic growth
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