Minister Dudy Confirms Trans-Sumatra Railway Project Will Not Drain State Budget

The development of the Trans Railway Sumatra project from Banda Aceh to Bandar Lampung will not depend on the state budget (APBN), according to Minister for Transport Dudy Purwagandhi. He made the statement following a working meeting with Commission V of the House of Representatives at the Parliamentary Complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Thursday, 4 June 2026. The government will seek various alternative financing schemes to support the acceleration of the railway network development. ‘We certainly must innovate. We must not only rely on government budgets. We have to innovate so that we can obtain funding from outside the APBN,’ Dudy told reporters. The government will prioritise various financing innovations so that the development of the Trans-Sumatra railway line can proceed without depending on APBN support. Dudy stated that the government is opening opportunities for the involvement of various funding sources beyond the state budget to support the realisation of this strategic national transport project. He added that the involvement of the Daya Anagata Nusantara Investment Management Body (BP Danantara) and the private sector is one of the government’s hopes for supporting the financing of the Trans-Sumatra railway line construction. ‘Yes, it is certainly our hope (to involve Danantara or the private sector),’ he said. The Trans-Sumatra railway line project is part of a follow-up to President Prabowo Subianto’s directive to strengthen the railway network outside of Java, particularly to support more efficient logistics transport that can bolster national economic growth. ‘We will finalise this. We will then immediately follow up on it as part of the aspirations and wishes of the President to develop more efficient railway transportation, especially outside Java,’ he stated. The government has formed a special team to study the development of the Trans-Sumatra railway network, spanning approximately 1,700 kilometres and connecting Banda Aceh to Bandar Lampung. Bobby Rasyidin, President Director of PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero), said the formation of the team was an action taken on President Prabowo Subianto’s directive to develop rail networks outside Java. Bobby confirmed that his party would immediately conduct a study on the railway line development project together with the Coordinating Ministry for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Danantara, and the Ministry of Transport.