Perumka to lay more tracks

JAKARTA (JP): The state railway company Perusahaan Umum Kereta Api (Perumka) will complete the construction of 6,908 kilometers of railway tracks in Java and Sumatra by the year 2000, the firm's director said yesterday.

Edie Haryoto told a hearing with the House of Representatives here that the railway tracks to be constructed would include 350 kilometers of new lines.

The new tracks would be laid between Depok and Bogor in West Java (23 km); Kroya in Central Java and Yogyakarta (149 km); Cikampek and Cirebon in West Java (135 km); Cikampek and Purwakarta in West Java (18 km); Kiaracondong and Cicalengka in West Java (17 km); Cisomang and Rendeh in West Java (8 km); and between Parungpanjang and Cibinong in West Java (46km), he said.

Edie said in the hearing with the House's Commission V, which is in charge of communications, transportation, public works, tourism and public housing, that, to improve its service to the public, the company also planned to operate more express and business-class trains.

He said that PT Lorinta Mitra Guna was interested in operating trains between Jakarta and Surabaya in East Java; PT Arion Paramita Group was interested in the Jakarta-Semarang-Surakarta (Central Java) route; and PT Hasta Mitra Baruna was interested in the Jakarta-Merak (West Java) route.

PT Bintaro Serpong Damai wanted to operate trains on the Serpong-Tanah Abang-Gambir route and PT Infiniti Indomarga was interested in the Tangerang-Jakarta and Bekasi-Jakarta routes, he said.

The private companies would serve the routes under a build- operate-transfer arrangement for 20 years, he added.

The proposed services were part of 48 projects recently offered by Perumka to private companies for cooperation.

Edie said that Perumka expected to make a profit of Rp 10 billion (US$4.46 million) in 1995. He said that the operation of new express services had increased the company's revenues.

He said that Perumka, in cooperation with Lorinta Mitra Guna, would start operating JS-950 express trains, connecting Jakarta with Surabaya in nine hours, on Aug. 17, the day on which the country celebrates its 50th anniversary.

The train trip between the two cities currently takes 13 hours.

Perumka will also introduce JB-250 trains between Jakarta and Bandung, reducing the traveling time from two-hours-and-forty- minutes to just two hours. (31)