TEMPO.CO, Makassar - Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said that the government will prioritize the completion of railway construction in South Sulawesi. To achieve this, the government will release fund from state Sharia Sovereign Bonds (SBSN) as much as Rp1.2 trillion this year.
"Railway track has been approved by the central government. This year railway in South Sulawesi is prioritized. The fund is ready and we hope it will complete by 2019," Budi said in Makassar on Saturday (17/6).
He explained that this 140-kilometer railway would be a pilot project because it will load logistics. South Sulawesi has four cement plants which require transportation means to distribute coal and cement.
"We want South Sulawesi Railway to be a national model in which represents a flexible and great train," he said. "So, we will use 100 km for railway track and the remaining 40 km is allocated for cement plants."
DIDIT HARIYADI