Train service proposed on Sumatra-Malaysia bridge<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government has asked the developer of the
\nplanned cross-border bridge linking northern Sumatra and Malaysia
\nto incorporate railroad tracks.<\/p>\n
Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto said here
\nyesterday that a railroad was essential to fulfill passenger and
\ncargo traffic demands between the two countries.<\/p>\n
Developers of the interisland bridge connecting the western
\npart of Java and southern tip of Sumatra should also link the
\ntrain services in Java and Sumatra.<\/p>\n
"A train service is promising," he said during a seminar on
\nrail services. "We have to take the opportunity before it is
\ngrabbed by other (foreign) investors."<\/p>\n
The president of state-owned railroad company Perumka, Soemino
\nEko Saputro, said he had proposed that the consortia planning to
\ndevelop the bridges invite his company to assist in the
\nconstruction design.<\/p>\n
Last August, the government agreed to the construction of a
\n95-kilometer bridge connecting the Malaysian peninsula and
\nSumatra.<\/p>\n
The bridge will be built by a private consortium of Indonesia-
\nMalaysian firms including PT Malindo Transmadu -- which is partly
\nowned by Siti Hedijati Herijadi Prabowo, Soeharto's second
\ndaughter -- and Malaysia's Renong Sdn. Bhd.<\/p>\n
The government also approved last year a proposal to build a
\n60-kilometer bridge linking Java and Sumatra, Indonesia's two
\nmost developed and populous islands.<\/p>\n
The planned bridge will start in Merak, on the western tip of
\nWest Java, and end in the Penengahan district, in the southern
\npart of the Lampung province.<\/p>\n
A different developer is also planning another interisland
\nbridge to link Java and Madura Island.<\/p>\n
Dhanutirto said yesterday that during the sixth five-year
\ndevelopment plan period (Repelita VI), which will end in March
\n1999, railroad and train issues needed some Rp 2.64 trillion
\n(US$677 million) in investments and funding.<\/p>\n
He said the government's schedule was to develop 5,151
\nkilometers of railroad tracks during Repelita VI. Railroad
\ninfrastructure was expected to span 7,660 km by the end of
\nRepelita X.<\/p>\n
By the end of Repelita V, train services transported 72.8
\nmillion passengers and 15.5 tons of cargo. Last year, the figures
\nhad reached 154 million passengers and 17.3 tons of cargo, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Railroad transportation will be responsible for 6.13 percent
\nand 6.91 percent for passenger and cargo traffic, respectively,
\nin Repelita VI. By the end of Repelita X, the figures are
\nexpected to reach 15.77 percent for passengers and 20.87 percent
\nfor cargo traffic. (icn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/train-service-proposed-on-sumatra-malaysia-bridge-1447893297",
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