Aceh's railway project to starts next year
Aceh's railway project to starts next year
Antara, Banda Aceh
French rail company SNCF International will start the
construction of a railway network connecting Banda Aceh city and
Medan in North Sumatra early next year, an official says.
Head of Aceh province's Public Works Office Usman Budiman said
the project was expected to be completed in about six years.
"The French government, through the SNCF, will provide funds
worth between 600 million (US$747 million) to 1 billion euros to
build the railway network from Banda Aceh to Medan," Usman said
after a meeting on Monday with the province's council members in
Banda Aceh.
He hoped the plan to construct the railway network would be
welcomed by the Acehnese.
"The first phase of the construction might be from the Aceh
Tamiang-Medan border up to Lhokseumawe, a distance of about 250
kilometers. The goal of the projects is to help speed up economic
growth in Aceh," he said.
In January, SNCF chairman and chief executive officer Jean-
Pierre Loubinoux signed a memorandum of understanding with
Minister of Transportation Hatta Radjasa to conduct a technical
and feasibility study for the project.
Apart from restoring the network connecting Banda Aceh and
Medan, the company also explored the possibility of a commuter
line in Surabaya.
The study will be funded by the French government in the form
of grants worth about 1 million euros for each project.
For the Aceh rail project, the company will focus on restoring
the 400-kilometer network stretching from Banda Aceh to Medan.
The railroad itself, built by the Dutch colonial administration,
survived the Dec. 26 quake and tsunami, which killed over
126,000people in Aceh and devastated most of its infrastructure.
Usman said the railway network was also expected to open up
areas that had potential as agriculture or plantation areas as
well as to push the development of several areas -- like Kreueng
Geukeh in Lhokseumawe and Kuala Langsa in East Aceh -- as ports.
"We hope that in the future, agriculture and plantation
commodities can be carried by train before being exported by
ships," he said, adding that the presence of a railway system
would also reduce traffic jams in the province.
Meanwhile, Loubinoux said the presence of a railway network in
Aceh was important to boost its economic development.
"We have conducted a feasibility study. SNCF has agreed to
build a railway network in Aceh," he said.
SNCF was established 50 years ago from a merger between
several French state rail companies with a number of private
firms. The company has been involved in a number of projects in
Asia, including Taiwan and South Korea.