Transport Minister Urges Patience as Green Line Electrification Project Targets 2027 Completion

Minister of Transportation Dudy Purwagandhi has asked users of the Commuter Line’s Green Line, serving the Tanah Abang-Rangkasbitung route, to be patient while waiting for the capacity upgrade process on the line. The government is targeting the electrification and capacity increase of the route to be completed by 2027, although construction work will only begin this year. Dudy stated that the Green Line is currently one of the government’s priority projects due to the continuous surge in passenger numbers, while the headway between journeys remains quite long. “The Green Line, heading to Rangkasbitung from Tanah Abang. We hope to start the electrification addition project soon. The fastest progress being pushed is the electrification of the Green Line from Tanah Abang to Rangkas,” Dudy said during a media briefing in Jakarta on Friday. According to him, service improvements are needed so that people using the line can obtain a better frequency of travel. “The hope is that the route towards Rangkasbitung can be served soon, because the headway is a bit too long. Then the number of passengers on the Green Line has been increasing, so we and PT KAI are perhaps prioritising the Green Line for immediate electrification and capacity enhancement,” he said. Besides electrification, the government is also preparing to increase the capacity of the train sets. One method is by using larger trains and increasing the number of carriages to 12-car formations. “We might also replace the carriages with longer, wider ones, like those heading towards Bekasi, which are already wide. We will use a similar type of train for the Rangkasbitung route,” he noted. He explained that the project requires the construction of new electrical infrastructure, including the replacement of electrical substations along the line to Rangkasbitung. When asked about the completion target, Dudy expressed hope that the work could be finished by 2027. “I hope it can be fast. That’s why I asked the Director General of Railways, ‘When will the work start?’ because they have to replace the electrical substations with new ones, and it’s quite a long stretch to Rangkasbitung. I hope it can be fast and completed by 2027, God willing,” he said. However, when asked if the project could be finished sooner this year, Dudy stressed that the public needs to be patient as infrastructure development takes time. “Be patient. It starts this year. Building a house alone takes three years. So please be patient, because there is a process. With all the dynamics, we are trying to realise the electrification upgrade for the entire line as soon as possible,” Dudy said. He assured that the government understands the public’s expectations and will strive to accelerate the project’s realisation. Meanwhile, Director General of Railways at the Ministry of Transportation, Allan Tandiono, added that the construction process for the new substations will begin next month. “It starts next month, and we hope it will be finished next year, at the latest by 2028,” Allan said.