KAI and BRIN Strengthen Automatic Train Protection Research, Roadmap Prepared Until Q2 2027
Jakarta - PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) during the BRIN Goes to Industry 5 event at the Soemitro Djojohadikusumo Auditorium in Jakarta on Tuesday. The collaboration is directed at strengthening research, exploration, and adoption of railway technology, including the development of an Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system.
Deputy Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Yuliot Tanjung stated in his remarks that Indonesia’s industrial transformation requires increasingly strong synergy between the government, research institutions, universities, and the business sector. He noted that strengthening research and innovation is a crucial part of supporting industrialisation, enhancing national competitiveness, and accelerating downstreaming.
BRIN Head Arif Satria emphasised the importance of ensuring research results can be utilised by industry and generate economic, social, and environmental impact. The collaboration between researchers, government, and businesses is expected to accelerate the birth of applicable innovations, increase productivity, open business opportunities, and support emission reduction and environmental management.
KAI’s Director of Portfolio Management and Information Technology, I Gede Darmayusa, explained that ATP development requires measured study, testing, and evaluation stages because it must be adapted to Indonesia’s railway operational conditions. He stated that safety is the primary consideration in every technology adoption process at KAI, and the collaboration with BRIN provides space to test various research-based technological alternatives.
ATP is a train protection system with three main functions: preventing trains from passing signals at danger, monitoring travel speed, and conveying operational information to the driver. The system requires integration between trackside infrastructure devices and onboard equipment on locomotives or powered trains.
The development refers to Minister of Transportation Regulation No. 52 of 2014 concerning the obligation to implement an Automatic Train Control System. Under this regulation, the infrastructure manager determines the trackside system, while the train operator installs compatible onboard devices.
KAI and BRIN will use a Proof of Product approach as a validation stage before determining the ATP technology to be adopted. This approach validates the function, integration, and performance of the technology under conditions representing KAI’s operations, while also identifying gaps, mapping risks, and formulating necessary adjustments and mitigation measures. The validation process is necessary due to the high complexity of KAI’s operational environment, which includes diverse train traffic, different vehicle characteristics, variations in operational patterns, infrastructure complexity, and interoperability requirements.
The ATP development roadmap is structured in three stages. The first stage will be implemented in Q3 2026 through the formation of an ATP Working Group involving KAI and the Directorate General of Railways. This group will formulate the ATP adoption concept, functional requirements, implementation roadmap, consultant framework, diversity studies of rolling stock and infrastructure, gap analysis, and technology recommendations. The second stage is planned for Q4 2026, focusing on Proof of Product planning, preparation of design criteria, technical, operational, and safety requirements, and market sounding to technology providers. The third stage will run from Q4 2026 until no later than Q2 2027, encompassing the validation process.