Latest Update on the Surabaya-Sidoarjo KRL Project
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - The Ministry of Transportation, through the Directorate General of Railways, is focusing on accelerating the Surabaya Regional Railway Line (SRRL) project. This project, a collaboration between the German Development Bank (KfW) and Chodai Co. Ltd, will connect Surabaya Gubeng Station with Sidoarjo Station in the first phase.
To ensure support for the Surabaya Regional Railway Line (SRRL) project continues smoothly and on schedule, a team from the German Development Bank (KfW) along with the Directorate General of Railways (DJKA) through the Class I Surabaya Railway Technical Office (BTP) DJKA and PT KAI Daop 8 Surabaya visited several locations that will be part of the SRRL development (20-21 April 2026). This was to directly assess the current conditions of these sites and review preparedness as well as existing obstacles.
The activity, attended by Dirk Schneider as Senior Technical Adviser for KfW, inspected strategic SRRL project locations that have now entered the DED stage, such as the Sidotopo Depot, the planned Ambengan Flyover, Surabaya Pasarturi Station, Surabaya Gubeng Station, the planned Bung Tomo Flyover, and Sidoarjo Station.
The Head of Class I Surabaya BTP DJKA, Denny Michels Adlan, stated that besides ensuring the work proceeds as planned, this review is also to map out the potential and issues for SRRL development going forward.
“So it’s not just stopping at Phase I-A, which is currently undergoing DED. But also looking at how the next phases will be implemented, their potential, possible obstacles, and so on,” he said.
Denny also added that suggestions and constructive criticism from the public are highly regarded in the SRRL project. This was evident during the visit to Sidoarjo Station, where there were suggestions to extend the SRRL route to Porong or to Malang.
“The KfW side is also very open to directly reviewing these route extension suggestions as one point worth considering,” said Denny.
During this activity, plans for two flyovers that will be constructed as a package with SRRL were also reviewed: the Bung Tomo Ngagel Flyover and the Ambengan Flyover. According to Denny, the need for these flyovers is also pressing.
“From the traffic data calculations, it is clear that level crossings must be reduced immediately if SRRL is to operate in the future. And this is not just for now but for the long term. Because basically, we at DJKA are very concerned about safety at level crossings, including in the planned construction of the Jemursari Flyover by the Surabaya City Government and the Ministry of Public Works,” he concluded.
SRRL is a project of cooperation between the Ministry of Transportation and KfW, covering the construction of double tracks and electrification for mass rail-based transportation in the Surabaya and surrounding areas. Currently, SRRL Phase I-A, connecting Surabaya Gubeng Station to Sidoarjo, is entering the DED stage. SRRL Phase I-A is targeted to be fully operational in 2030.