Kuala Namu Airport Train
May 14, 2009 by Medan Indonesia
Filed under Medan International Airport, Medan Transport, Travel
Medan Kuala Namu Airport Train To Operate December 2009
The Ministry of Transportation plans to step up construction on the airport trains in Sumatra, a railway official announced.
Tundjung Inderawan, director general of railway transportation at the ministry, said officials hoped to wrap up work on a train linking North Sumatra’s capital city, Medan, with its brand new Kuala Namu Airport by the end of this year.
“We have solved the problems with land acquisition,” Tundjung said, adding that the construction was expected to cost Rp 50 billion ($4.8 million).
The four-kilometer track, he said, would connect Araskabu Station on the outskirts of Medan to Kuala Namu Airport, some 20 kilometers away from the city center. It would also connect to the city’s downtown Medan Station.
The government and state-owned railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia began construction in 2006. Progress had been hampered by difficulties in obtaining land from residents living along the track.
“Currently, two consortiums have submitted their proposal for the tender process,” he said, adding that they were waiting for one more candidate in order for the bidding process to start.
He said investors might be reluctant to participate in the construction because it could take a long time to break even.
“Having an airport train in big cities is crucial,” he said.
Joko Setijowarno from the Indonesian Transportation Society said that the government must be 100 percent committed to building a railway system if it wanted people to use trains.
“They can’t build a railway track and then invest more in constructing a toll road,” he said. “People tend to choose driving over riding the train.”
State news agency Antara quoted Vice President Jusuf Kalla as saying the Kuala Namu Airport would begin operations in October this year. The terminals at Kuala Namu will have a target capacity of accommodating 8.1 million people per year. The existing Polonia Airport is currently able to handle 5 million people per year.
source: Putri Prameshwari of Jakarta Globe.
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