Jakarta, May 4 (Antara) - Construction of the Sorong-Manokwari section of a railway network, which will link six districts in West Papua Province, is expected to start this year if the local government can settle land clearance issues soon.
The government has planned to develop a railway network, comprising three ground planning sections of Sorong-Manokwari, Manokwari-Teluk Bintuni, and Teluk Bintuni-Ayamaru, which is expected to be completed by 2019 in West Papua Province.
"If the provincial government of West Papua is able to accomplish it this year, the development of the railway network can be carried out this year also," Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan stated while inaugurating the new terminal of the Domine Edward Osok (DEO) in Sorong, West Papua, on April 30.
Therefore, the minister has urged the provincial administration to prepare the land required for the development of the railway network in the province. The construction will start from Sorong to Manokwari stretching 390 kilometers in length.
"Work will start from Sorong as the city has adequate infrastructure. It has easier topography to implement the project compared to others," Deputy Governor of West Papua Irene Manibuy had stated in Manokwari on Sunday (May 1).
Manibuy noted that the local government will soon hold a meeting with the National Land Agency (BPN) and communal land rights owners to discuss the land clearance plan for the construction of the railway tracks.
The West Papua deputy governor affirmed that the local government will shoulder lesser burden as the central government will provide the development budget, including the land clearance cost.
"For land clearance, we only facilitate and coordinate with the BPN and land owners," she revealed.
Hence, Manibuy has called on all district heads, whose areas fall under the railway construction plan, to help settle land clearance issues. Overall, she said, the local government supported the plan and hoped the project will start this year.
Director General of Railways of the Transportation Ministry Hermanto Dwi Atmoko stated in Manokwari on Thursday last week that his ministry was awaiting the settlement of land clearance issues, so the railway construction work can start once the matter was settled.
As the Sorong-Manokwari railway track is a national lane, so its budget will be borne by the central government.
"We will pay based on the regulations in force. We cannot disburse funds if they cannot be accounted for," the director general emphasized.
The director general expressed optimism that if land clearance issues for all railway tracks in West Papua are settled, then the railway projects linking the six districts in West Papua will be completed by 2019.
The six districts are Sorong, South Sorong, Maybrat, Teluk Bintuni, South Manokwari, and Manokwari.
"In South Sulawesi, we can build 20 kilometers of railway tracks in four months. The length of the Sorong-Ayamaru section is only some 140 kilometers," he revealed.
The construction of the railway projects in West Papua will start from Sorong to Manokwari. The length of this section is some 390 kilometers.
These projects are divided into three ground planning sections of Sorong-Ayamaru, Manokwari-Teluk Bintuni and Teluk Bintuni-Ayamaru. They are expected to be completed by 2019.
According to Atmoko, the trains to be operated in West Papua Province will run at a velocity of 250 kilometers per hour, higher than the average train speed in Java and Sumatra. In Java, the average speed of trains is some 100 to 120 kilometers per hour.
The trains in West Papua are designed to have greater structural strength in terms of the transport load factor. The same will also be implemented for trains in Sulawesi and Kalimantan.
The railway development strategies in West Papua are mainly aimed at expanding the network, enhancing security and safety, developing human resources and technology, and boosting investment.
The rail network in West Papua will link the railway tracks in Papua. The Transportation Ministry intends to develop an integrated transportation network in the provinces of West Papua and Papua. This aims to unite the provinces with other regions in Indonesia through the development of six airports and several seaports as sea toll linkages in the two provinces.
In the meantime, Transportation Minister Jonan noted that the central government had already prepared the budget for the development of the railway network in West Papua, which is a priority program of President Joko Widodo's government.
"We are still coordinating with the provincial government of West Papua with regard to the land needed for the development of the railway network," he noted.
He affirmed that the central government was committed to developing transportation infrastructure evenly across the nation from Sabang in the westernmost province to Merauke in the easternmost part of the country.
The West Papua provincial government strongly supports the railway development program.
President Widodo has not merely made promises but has also fulfilled them as is apparent by the development of the new terminal of the DEO airport.
West Papua Deputy Governor Irene had earlier thanked President Widodo for prioritizing infrastructure development in Papua Barat.
The head of state does not make false promises as is evident by the development of a new passenger terminal at the DEO airport of Sorong, she pointed out.
The new terminal was commissioned by Transport Minister Jonan on Saturday.
It was planned five years ago, but the work on the terminal was carried out during the term of the current government and completed in less than a year, the minister added.
***3***(A014/INE/O001)EDITED BY INE(T.A014/B/BESSR/O. Tamindael) 04-05-2016 13:52:5 |
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