Jakarta–Surabaya Fast Train Project Moves Ahead Despite Regulatory Delays

Jakarta, VIVA – The Chairman of the National Economic Council (DEN), Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, confirmed that the Jakarta–Surabaya high-speed rail project will go ahead.

This fast train project is an extension of the Jakarta–Bandung High-Speed Rail line.

“We discussed it earlier. The issue is simply that we haven't finalized the regulations yet. Once that's done, we can begin talking about a joint study,” Pandjaitan said on Thursday (May 22).

The Jakarta–Surabaya rail extension has been included in the national railway development plan under the Minister of Transportation Decree No. KM 296 of 2020 on the National Railway Master Plan.



Ketua DEN, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan

Photo :

• VIVA.co.id/Rahmat Fatahillah Ilham

The regulation in question, according to him, is a Presidential Regulation regarding the project.

He mentioned that he had asked Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Djiwandono to personally oversee the drafting of the Presidential regulation.

“The regulation needs to be issued soon because the Chinese side is waiting for it. Once it's approved, we can proceed with a joint study, which will definitely be better than the Jakarta–Bandung line,” he explained.

Pandjaitan also acknowledged that the Jakarta–Bandung High-Speed Rail (Whoosh) still has many shortcomings.

“We’re not looking to place blame, but we want to learn from our mistakes, as I was also involved in that project,” he said.

Earlier, the Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY), said that the Jakarta–Surabaya high-speed rail project was still under review.

Minister AHY emphasized that the government must carefully assess and calculate the feasibility of such a large-scale project.

Meanwhile, Minister of Transportation Dudy Purwagandhi stressed that the Jakarta–Surabaya project must not burden the state budget.

The government is also evaluating various rail-based transport options for the project, including medium-speed trains in addition to high-speed trains.

The final decision will take into account market demand and investment viability. As of now, studies on the continuation of the Jakarta–Surabaya high-speed rail project are still underway.

The Ministry of Transportation is also reviewing a previous study by Japan on the potential for developing a semi-high-speed rail option.

Halaman Selanjutnya

“We’re not looking to place blame, but we want to learn from our mistakes, as I was also involved in that project,” he said.