Andre Rosiade: Prabowo to Reactivate West Sumatra Railway Lines, Preparing Massive Investment
Andre Rosiability, Vice Chairman of Commission VI of the House of Representatives (DPR) from the Gerindra Party, has revealed that President Prabowo Subianto is giving serious attention to the development of railways in West Sumatra. One of the programmes to be implemented is the reactivation of several railway lines, supported by an investment of around Rp 300 billion.
This was stated by Andre following a hearing with the President Director of PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI), Bobby Rasyidin, at the parliamentary complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday (3/6/2026). According to Andre, a legislator for the West Sumatra 1 constituency, KAI’s presentation revealed that West Sumatra is a priority for railway line reactivation programmes on Sumatra Island. The total length of the planned reactivation reaches 248.5 kilometres.
“Alhamdulillah, in the meeting with the President Director of PT KAI, we received information that the government under President Prabowo Subianto is giving great attention to the development of railways in West Sumatra. This includes the reactivation programme for railway lines that have been out of operation,” said Andre.
The lines included in the reactivation plan are Naras-Sungai Limau (6.5 km), Kayu Tanam-Padang Panjang-Bukittinggi-Limbanan (162 km), Muarakalaban-Sawahlunto (4 km), Padang Panjang-Batuabal (18 km), Batuabal-Solok (34 km), and Solok-Muarakalaban (24 km).
The Chairman of the West Sumatra Gerindra Party Regional Leadership Council (DPD) noted that this programme is good news for the people of West Sumatra as it will create new connectivity, reduce logistics costs, and stimulate regional economic growth.
“President Prabowo wants to build infrastructure that has a direct impact on the community. The reactivation of railway lines in West Sumatra will open access to more affordable, safe, and efficient transportation. For the initial stage, the prepared investment is estimated to reach approximately Rp 300 billion,” said the Chairman of the Indonesian Minang Family Association (IKM).
Andre added that besides reactivating old lines, the government is also drafting a roadmap for the development of the railway network in Sumatra to increase inter-regional connectivity in the future. “This demonstrates the government’s commitment to ensuring equitable development, including outside Java. West Sumatra is receiving special attention in the development of the national railway network,” Andre concluded.
KAI President Director Bobby Rasyidin revealed that KAI is currently preparing a development project for the Trans-Sumatra railway network, requiring an investment of approximately Rp 350 trillion. This project aims to connect railway lines from Banda Aceh to Bandar Lampung to strengthen connectivity, passenger mobility, and logistics distribution across Sumatra. During the hearing with Commission VI, Bobby explained that the development of the Sumatran railway network is part of KAI’s 2026-2030 transformation roadmap. In addition to building approximately 1,110 kilometres of new tracks, KAI targets the reactivation of 726 kilometres of inactive lines across West Sumatra, North Sumatra, and Aceh.