Japan, Three Others Eyeing Jakarta-Surabaya Rail Project
18 January 2017 11:12 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Four countries have shown interest to finance Jakarta-Surabaya railway revitalization project. The project is expected to improve the speed of Jakarta-Surabaya train to around 150 kilometers per hour (semi-express).
“There are China, South Korea and Russia. It’s allowed to show some interest,” Transportation Ministry official Prasetyo Boeditjahjo said yesterday at the Parliamentary Complex in Jakarta.
Read also: Japan to Commence Feasibility Study for Medium-Speed Train Project
According to Prasetyo, those countries had expressed their commitment to be engaged on the Jakarta-Surabaya railway project. Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe had expressed his commitment early last year to finance the megaproject through government debt.
Follow-up discussions at ministerial level had been held ever since. Japan’s interest in the project intensifies as Mr. Abe visited Indonesia last week. The agenda items discussed in the meeting was Jakarta-Surabaya railway project, among others.
Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said that President Jokowi had allowed Japan to submit the megaproject’s financing proposal. The government will soon prepare the feasibility study. “It’s clear, the President has presented Japan an opportunity to submit a preliminary proposal,” Budi said.
However, Prasetyo said that despite such interests, the government has yet to commence a feasibility study on the project. Moreover, the government has yet to include the feasibility study budget in the 2017 state budget (APBN). “We expect to include the budget this year,” Prasetyo said.
KHAIRUL ANAM