UK, East Java Cooperate in Developing Surabaya Railway Line Project

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Government of the United Kingdom has decided to participate in developing the Surabaya Regional Railway Line (SRRL), East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa stated.

Parawansa remarked that the British Government's decision was conveyed to her by Ambassador of the UK to Indonesia and Timor-Leste Dominic Jermey during a meeting in Surabaya on Friday, December 15, 2023.

"The meeting held with the British ambassador was a very productive one. On the occasion, the ambassador delivered a decree on the SRRL project from the British finance minister," she noted in a written statement in Surabaya on Saturday.

Friday's meeting was a follow-up to Parawansa's visit to the United Kingdom some time ago.

The governor also remarked that development of the railway line in Surabaya will involve a team from the Transport for London (TFL), a government agency that has been connecting cities in the UK through transformation of railway infrastructure.

"The TFL has proven to be a party that is highly capable of devising advanced transportation technology. For instance, the agency has been successful in developing a high-speed train system on top of skyscrapers," she pointed out.

Parawansa expressed hope that such an advanced technology would also be applied in East Java Province.

"A feasibility study on the SRRL project has been done. A team from the British Embassy will then follow-up on it. God Willing, we will make the project public prior to December 25, 2023," she stated.

She also expressed optimism about the electric trains of the SRRL project being able to meet the need for means of mass transport in Surabaya City and its surrounding regions.

Parawansa noted that the train system will be connected to systems of public transport in the regions of Gresik, Bangkalan, Mojokerto, Sidoarjo, and Lamongan.

The former social affairs minister then spoke of having explored cooperation opportunities in various fields during Friday's meeting.

"In addition to the SRRL project, we spoke about opportunities to cooperate in higher education, vocational education, and a comparative study for Indonesian young ulemas to the UK," she concluded.

ANTARA

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