SOE Minister Erick Thohir on Used Train Import Plan: Waiting for Final Data

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Minister Erick Thohir has spoken up about the plan to import secondhand train cars from Japan as one of the options to address the fleet shortage of KRL or Commuter Line, which will retire a lot of trainset in the next few years.

Erick claimed he is still waiting for the two final data from state-owned train manufacturer PT Industri Kereta Api (INKA) and state-owned railway operator PT Kereta Commuter Indonesia (KCI).

“Data from INKA is about its capacity to produce train cars,” Erick said when met at his office on Thursday, May 25, 2023.

He also proposed capital injection for INKA to produce train cars. Other data is about the increase in the number of passengers. When the data are issued, the SOE Ministry can thus synchronize and decide how many train cars can be made domestically and how many of them will be imported.

“The decision will be made at a coordination meeting with Pak Luhut (Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan),” Erick remarked.

Deputy SOE Minister II Kartika Wirjoatmodjo previously said the decision of importing used train cars from Japan is just waiting for the instruction of Coordinating Minister Luhut. He hoped that the plan can be executed this year.

“I need one more meeting with the Coordinating Minister,” Kartika said.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Transportation Ministry Adita Irawati emphasized the ministry approved the import of used train cars for KRL given the emergency situation for the safety of commuters.

RIRI RAHAYU | ANTARA

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