PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) recorded positive growth for its\nMakassar\u2013Parepare train service throughout January to July 2026. During\nthis period, the service carried 206,651 passengers, a 13.62 percent\nincrease compared to the 181,876 passengers served in the same period of\n2025. Cumulatively, since the start of operations until July 2026, the\nMakassar\u2013Parepare line has served 1,032,163 passengers. Surpassing the\none million passenger mark demonstrates the strong public need in South\nSulawesi for safe, comfortable, affordable, and scheduled public\ntransport.<\/p>\n
Vice President of Corporate Communication at KAI, Anne Purba, stated\nthat this passenger growth carries a broader message about the meaning\nof connectivity for regional development. A region will have greater\nroom to grow when its people can more easily reach centres of education,\nemployment, trade, public services, tourism, and various social\nactivities. \u201cIndonesia has enormous potential spread across every\nregion. Connectivity helps bring that potential together with\nopportunity. When travel access becomes more open, people have a wider\nspace to learn, work, build businesses, meet family, and contribute to\ndeveloping their areas,\u201d Anne said.<\/p>\n
The presence of railway services in South Sulawesi also expands\nmobility options for communities outside Java and Sumatra. The service\nis part of the Sulawesi railway network development designed to connect\ncentres of community activity and support regional growth. The strategic\nrole of connectivity is underscored by South Sulawesi\u2019s growing economy,\nwhich recorded annual growth of 6.88 percent in the first quarter of\n2026, indicating economic activity that requires increasingly robust and\nconnected transport support.<\/p>\n
This economic growth is formed by activities across various sectors\nand regions. The benefits of development become more widespread when\ncitizens can reach activity centres with more predictable travel times\nand measurable costs. For workers, connectivity broadens employment\noptions without necessarily having to leave their home regions. For\nstudents, easier travel opens access to schools, universities, training,\nand learning spaces. For MSMEs, public mobility brings new potential\ncustomers and opportunities to introduce local products to wider\nmarkets.<\/p>\n
The tourism sector can also reap similar benefits. The\nMakassar\u2013Parepare route passes through areas rich in natural beauty,\nculture, cuisine, and history, including Maros, Pangkep, and Barru.\nEasier travel allows tourists to discover more destinations, while local\ncommunities gain opportunities from culinary businesses, accommodation,\nconnecting transport, the creative economy, and sales of local products.\n\u201cOpportunities come in concrete forms. There are traders who meet new\ncustomers, young people who pursue education or training, workers who\nreach their workplaces, and families who can travel more easily. Every\njourney can be the start of an opportunity that previously felt\ndistant,\u201d Anne said.<\/p>\n
Parepare holds a special place in Indonesia\u2019s national journey. The\ncity is the birthplace of Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie, the third President\nof the Republic of Indonesia, a scientist, and a national technology\nfigure. The Presidential Museum of the Republic of Indonesia records\nthat B.J. Habibie was born in Parepare on 25 June 1936, before embarking\non a journey of education and service that led him to contribute to\nIndonesia. This story conveys the message that national talent can\nemerge from any city. A birthplace does not determine how far someone\ncan aspire. However, every talent requires access to education,\nknowledge, experience, and space to develop their abilities.<\/p>\n
Connectivity provides the opportunity for the potential of children\nfrom the regions to meet various spaces for learning and\nself-development. A child growing up in South Sulawesi can become a\nscientist, engineer, educator, artist, athlete, entrepreneur, leader, or\nbring great ideas to Indonesia when their path to opportunity is\nincreasingly open. \u201cParepare once gave birth to B.J. Habibie, a figure\nwho showed that a child from the regions can bring Indonesian ideas\nacross the world. We never know from which city or village the next\ngreat talent will emerge. Our shared task is to open access so that\nevery child has the opportunity to learn, grow, and advance,\u201d Anne\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Equal opportunity does not mean everyone must travel the same life\npath. It means that origin, distance, and limited access do not become\nthe main barriers for someone to develop their abilities. In this\ncontext, the railway holds a meaning close to the human journey. A train\nset always moves along its track, passing through cities and regions,\ncarrying each passenger to different destinations. Some are heading to\nschool, workplaces, business locations, tourist destinations, family\nhomes, or places where new hopes begin. As the 81st Anniversary of the\nIndependence of the Republic of Indonesia approaches on 17 August 2026,\nthe growth of the Makassar\u2013Parepare train service becomes part of the\neffort to expand the benefits of transport development to the community.\nIndependence takes on a stronger meaning when every citizen has the\naccess to determine the direction of their own life. Young people can\npursue education, parents can build livelihoods, and business actors can\nexpand their enterprises.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/makassar-parepare-train-passengers-rise-13-62-percent-kai-expands-connectivity-and-opportunities-for-south-1785808346", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }