Observer: Kalimantan railway network to strengthen logistics transport

Transport observer Djoko Setijowarno has assessed that the planned construction of a railway network on Kalimantan Island can strengthen logistics distribution and boost regional connectivity to support long-term economic growth and investment. Speaking to ANTARA in Jakarta on Sunday, Djoko said Kalimantan has different transport characteristics compared to other regions in Indonesia, especially since rivers have long been one of the main routes used by communities and businesses to transport various logistics commodities. “Clearly, if a railway line exists in Kalimantan, it will reduce road congestion. Previously, Kalimantan actually used rivers a lot as logistics routes,” said Djoko, who is also an Advisory Board member of the Indonesian Transport Society (MTI). According to him, the use of rivers as a means of logistics transport has been ongoing for a long time and remains an important part of the goods distribution system in several areas of Kalimantan. The geographical conditions dominated by rivers have allowed water transport modes to develop naturally. Nevertheless, the growth of economic activity and increasingly large distribution needs open up opportunities for additional transport modes capable of carrying large quantities of goods with more measurable travel times. Djoko, who is also an academic in the Civil Engineering Study Programme at Soegijapranata Catholic University (Unika) Semarang, assessed that railways can complement the existing river transport in Kalimantan. The presence of a rail network enables the creation of a multimodal logistics system that connects production centres, industrial areas, ports, and distribution centres more effectively. He explained that Kalimantan has considerable logistics potential, including from the natural resources sector, one of which is coal and other leading commodities. Therefore, the existence of railways can strengthen supply chains and facilitate the movement of goods between regions. Besides improving distribution efficiency, the construction of railway lines also has the potential to reduce freight congestion on highways. Shifting part of the load to railways can help maintain the quality of road infrastructure while improving transport safety. According to Djoko, building a railway network in Kalimantan requires careful planning through feasibility studies and comprehensive technical design preparation. These steps are important so that the lines built match logistics needs, geographical conditions, and local regional characteristics. He assessed that adequate budget support is a key factor for the construction plan to be realised. According to him, the government needs to pay greater attention to transport infrastructure development, including the development of the railway network in Kalimantan. Djoko urged an infrastructure budget allocation of 10 percent of the State Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBN). He believes that portion can be used to accelerate the construction of various strategic infrastructures, from roads, bridges, village roads, and housing, to the railway transport sector which plays an important role in supporting national connectivity and logistics efficiency. The construction of a rail network in Kalimantan also has the potential to encourage the growth of new economic centres. Improved connectivity is believed to be able to attract investment, open up business opportunities, and create more evenly distributed economic activity. The government is targeting the construction of 2,772 kilometres of railway lines on Kalimantan Island as an effort to strengthen connectivity and support logistics distribution in the region. Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) said the plan is still in the calculation and planning stage by the government. “The plan to build railway lines in Kalimantan is still being carefully calculated and planned by us,” AHY said after a coordination meeting on national railway network development at Tanah Abang Baru Station, Jakarta, on Wednesday (22/4). The government will form a committee involving various ministries and agencies to accommodate input and refine the national railway network planning. According to him, the committee will also play a role in refining the National Railway Master Plan (Ripnas) so that it aligns with development needs in Kalimantan. AHY revealed that to date, Kalimantan does not yet have a railway network, so the length of lines in the region is still recorded as zero kilometres. Yet, the Kalimantan region has great natural resource potential, including the mineral sector, which requires adequate transport infrastructure support. Therefore, the railway line construction plan will open up inter-provincial connectivity in Kalimantan, from the northern, eastern, southern, central, to western regions. In addition, it can improve logistics distribution efficiency, especially for natural resource commodities that have so far depended on other transport modes.