DPR urges government to back INKA production to meet railway needs

Madiun, East Java – A member of Commission VII of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), Bambang Haryo Soekartono (BHS), has urged the government to support PT INKA (Persero) to manufacture trains to realise mass transit connectivity across Indonesia. During a working visit to PT INKA in Madiun, East Java, on Friday, he said that INKA is the sole railway industry in Southeast Asia, and therefore its presence is highly strategic. ‘INKA is a strategically important industry, so the government must pay attention to it,’ he said in Madiun. He also asserted that domestic needs for trains and locomotives can be met by the national industry without importing. ‘Because INKA already exists, KAI should order from INKA, not abroad. There was talk yesterday about 54 locomotives. INKA can already manufacture locomotives; speed and standardisation can meet KAI’s requirements. So to continue to improve production, of course orders must be placed,’ he said. He noted that demand for railway rolling stock in the country will grow further in the future, in line with transport corridor development, including the Trans Sumatra Railway, a national strategic project to build a unified rail network of 2,100 kilometres from Lampung to Medan. ‘Trans Sumatera is only about 1,000 kilometres from completion. Once finished, the economy could surge dramatically,’ he said. This is because logistics transport demand in Sumatra is substantial, further augmented by passenger transport needs. ‘Such conditions must be anticipated with ultra-high-capacity mass transit. This is what needs to be the government’s attention,’ he added.