Deputy Interior Minister Emphasises Spatial Planning Policy for Railway Line Development
Deputy Minister of Home Affairs (Wamendagri), Akhmad Wiyagus, has emphasised the importance of strengthening regulations, particularly spatial planning policies, as the foundation for supporting the national railway development in the regions of Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi.
Wiyagus stated that the national railway development already has a strong legal basis. This is reflected in several Presidential Regulations (Perpres) that regulate island spatial planning, namely Perpres Number 3 of 2012 on the Spatial Planning Plan for Kalimantan Island, Perpres Number 88 of 2011 for Sulawesi Island, and Perpres Number 13 of 2012 for Sumatra Island.
These legal bases serve as the foundation for local governments (Pemda) in preparing and adjusting the Regional Spatial Planning Plan (RTRW) and Detailed Spatial Planning Plan (RDTR), so that railway network development can be integrated into regional development planning.
In this context, the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) plays a strategic role as a facilitator and supervisor in synchronising policies between the central and regional governments. This role is carried out in stages through governors as representatives of the central government in the regions up to the district/city level.
“The Ministry of Home Affairs strongly supports this national railway network development. In accordance with its function, of course, as the government and supervisor and facilitator as well as synchronising policies to local governments, which is of course also done in stages,” Wiyagus explained in his statement on Wednesday (22/4/2026).
He conveyed this at the Coordination Meeting for the Development of the National Railway Network at the New Tanah Abang Station, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday (22/4).
Furthermore, he explained that as of April 2026, out of 21 provinces in the regions of Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi, some areas already have regional regulations (Perda) related to spatial planning, while others are still in the process of revision or evaluation.
According to him, this situation reflects the level of regional readiness in supporting national railway development, given that railway projects must align with the applicable spatial planning documents.
In addition to regulatory aspects, Wiyagus also highlighted regional fiscal challenges. He explained that the railway sector has not fully entered the category of mandatory basic service affairs, so it has not yet become a priority in budgeting, especially for regions with limited fiscal capacity.
“Therefore, this must be formulated carefully,” he stated.
Further, Wiyagus emphasised several aspects that need to be considered in national railway development, including aligning priorities between central and regional governments, strengthening connectivity in areas around nodes, integrating rail networks with regional systems, and cross-sector and cross-level government coordination.
“So the success of this agenda is not just about building tracks, but also ensuring that the regional ecosystem and institutional coordination continue to run,” he asserted.
For information, the event was attended by the Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, Minister of National Development Planning/Head of the National Development Planning Agency Rachmat Pambudy, Head of the National Research and Innovation Agency Arif Satria, Deputy Head of the State-Owned Enterprises Regulatory Agency Aminuddin Ma’ruf, as well as officials from related ministries/agencies.