TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The new capital of Indonesia, Nusantara or IKN, is expected to have a VVIP airport later this year. The new capital will also have a train connecting it to Sepinggan Airport in Balikpapan, which is expected to be completed in 2030.

"The train connecting Sepinggan Balikpapan Airport - IKN is actually being built first because it is expected to be completed in 2030," said Silvia Halim, deputy for facilities and infrastructure at the IKN Authority, on Thursday, May 30, as quoted by Antara.

Currently, Silvia said, the development of rail transport in IKN is being accelerated.

"We are also preparing train lines, both the airport train connecting Balikpapan's Sepinggan Airport to IKN and the regional train network connecting IKN, Balikpapan, Samarinda and surrounding areas," she said.

For the regional rail network, the project is currently in the preliminary study stage, including plans for the rail lines. Later, more studies will have to be conducted, both feasibility studies and basic engineering designs, before implementation.

"We will look at the implementation according to the development of the IKN city. In the initial phase, of course, we don't expect it to be built, because based on the master plan, we expect that construction could start after 2035 for regional trains," Silvia said.

Silvia said the plan to build the Sepinggan-IKN airport train and regional trains is in line with the target of 80 percent public transport in IKN. The airport train connecting IKN-Sepinggan Balikpapan Airport is being hailed as a transit-based macro transportation mode that will connect IKN and Balikpapan and facilitate inter-city accessibility.

The airport train is expected to reduce the travel time between the IKN Central Government Core Area (KIPP) and Sepinggan Balikpapan Airport by approximately 34 minutes for a distance of approximately 46.06 km.

ANTARA

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