Railway infrastructure: High-speed railway project to reach Surabaya
This article has been translated by PwC Indonesia as part of our Indonesia Infrastructure News Service. PwC Indonesia has not checked the accuracy of, and accepts no responsibility for the content.
Bisnis Indonesia - Infrastruktur kereta api: Proyek kereta cepat melaju hingga Surabaya
28 October 2022
By: Deny Saputra and Hendra Wibawa
The government’s plan to continue Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway project to Surabaya in East Java will be more challenging after it is directed to go through Java south coast.
Important information regarding the fate of the high-speed railway in Indonesia was stated by Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi.
At the discussion held by Indonesian Engineers Association (PII) titled Realising Sustainable Smart Transportation on Thursday (27/10), the Transportation Minister announced that the high-speed railway in Indonesia would be developed from Jakarta-Bandung to be Jakarta-Surabaya.
If the government is currently constructing Jakarta-Bandung High-speed Railway to go through Bekasi, Karawang, Padalarang, as well as Tegalluar in Bandung, the high-speed railway project is planned to continue to Surabaya through Java south coast.
Budi Karya said that the Transportation Ministry was still designing the development of the route of Jakarta-Surabaya high-speed railway. The high-speed railway route is planned to go through Jakarta, Bandung, Kertajati (Majalengka), Purwokerto, Yogyakarta, Solo, Madiun, and Surabaya.
Travel time of Jakarta-Surabaya high-speed railway is estimated to take around 4 hours.
With this short travel time, he believes that other modes of transportation, such as air transportation, will be shaking in their boots. “If we believe in it then we will build it, travel time will be 4 hours. Be careful, flights to Surabaya might not be in demand,” he said.
The Transportation Minister has asked PII to keep watch on the high-speed railway extension project, which is Jakarta-Bandung-Surabaya.
Specifically, PII can conduct studies with a suitable base, so the government can answer critiques regarding the feasibility of the project.
The Transportation Minister is planning Jakarta-Surabaya high-speed railway project to be concretely realised.
“It must be kept watch. The more who keep watch the better. If there are many critiques then PII will answer so that there is a base,” he explained.
Budi Karya stated that Jakarta-Surabaya high-speed railway could be realised excellently reflecting the project that is currently in construction, Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway.
Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway will be the first high-speed railway operating in Southeast Asia. The length of the bullet train spans 142.3 km, and it goes through 4 stations, namely Halim Jakarta, Karawang, Padalarang, and Tegalluar.
With the high-speed mode of transportation, travel time between Jakarta and Bandung will only take 35 minutes.
“This high-speed train is the first in Southeast Asia. All of our neighbouring countries are jealous. We must also carry out this trust excellently,” he said.
The Railways Directorate General revealed that Jakarta-Surabaya high-speed railway would wait for the Jakarta-Bandung route to be finished first, which will operate in June 2023.
The development of the Jakarta high-speed railway project to Surabaya has been included in the master plan of the Transportation Ministry.
Jakarta-Surabaya high-speed railway is set to reach a speed of around 200 km per hour to 350 km per hour.
Railways Directorate General Facilities Director of the Transportation Ministry Djarot Tri Wardhono added that Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway and Jabodebek LRT passengers would be able to use bus rapid transit (BRT) services to go from and to stations of both railways.
“Jabodebek LRT will be supported by land transportation. Several stations will have access to BRT, and the same goes for Jakarta-Bandung High-speed Railway. We are also concerned about urban integration and land transportation,” he explained.
Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway is planned to have four stations, while Jabodebek LRT will have 18 stations.
Besides BRT, Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway and Jabodebek LRT can be integrated with several other railway mode of transportation, such as Jakarta MRT, Jakarta LRT, and Jabodetabek Commuter Line.
Djarot explained that the operation of several new railway routes will also be integrated with buses or other modes of transportation.
Besides the high-speed railway and Jabodebek LRT, the Transportation Ministry is currently boosting the operation of the commuter line in Aceh, the routes include Paloh-Krueng Geukeuh-Kutablang, Binjai-Besitang, Tebing Tinggi-Kuala Tanjung, Rantauprapat-Pondok S5, Cibatu-Garut, and Makassar-Parepare.
Specifically for Makassar-Parepare, the project will integrate the railway route with Garongkong Port in Barru Regency in Makassar. He hopes that the integration can smooth out the flow of freight trains that carry commodities such as cement.
“There will be double handling at the start of the operation, but, in the future, we will procure equipment to handle that issue towards the port, so the cement carried can be transported excellently with less cost,” Djarot said.
