JAVA BADLY NEEDS DOUBLE TRACK RAILWAYS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Oct 9 (ANTARA) - Java island which hosts about 58 percent of Indonesia's  238 million population badly needs double track railways to meet the increasing demand for railway transportation services and to avoid train accidents like the one that killed at least 34 people and injured 43 others in Pemalang, Central Java last Saturday.          However, to  build a double track railway from Jakarta to Surabaya in East Java, state-owned railway firm PT KAI will need funds totaling  Rp9 trillion. "If the government is able to provide funds in that amount,  double track railways can  be built and be finished by 2014," Director General for Railway Affairs  Tundjung Inderawan said.          Even though it lacks funds, the government will do its best to prevent a recurrence of last Saturday's train tragedies in Central Java, Tundjung Inderawan said.          He was referring to the two septate tragic railway accidents in which trains collided in the Purwsari and Pemalang regions, recently.          "Having learned a lesson from the latest accidents, we will do our best to prevent similar tragedies from happening in the future. We will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of state railway company PT KAI, and based on the evaluation results, make the needed reforms and improvements to the company's management," Tundjung said.          The tragedies remind the government that  the development of double track railways is now urgent, at least in the sections whose train flow is busy so that  it could be managed easily.          "We cannot avoid the need for double track railways because the flow of trains has increased extraordinarily. And if we are still using single track, it will cause us troubles to manage it," legislator Mulyadi of the House Commission V on transportation affairs said.          Mulyadi made the remarks when, together with other legislators from Commission  V, observed the Tawang Railway Station in Semarang, Central Java, recently. They were accompanied by Central Java Governor Bibit Waluyo, Semarang Mayor Soemarno, Chief of PT KAI for Semarang Septa T. Ramadhin.          He said that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had serious attention to the development of the country's railway system. His attention could clearly be observed in his address before the House of Representatives recently.          "In his address when delivering the government's financial notes before the House plenary, the president's attention was clearly seen when he stressed the importance of increasing the funds for the development of the railway infrastructures," he said.          He said that there were several problems with the railway transportation problem in Java that needed to be solved in the face of the increasing number of train passengers.          "If it manages its business effectively and efficiently, PT KAI could reap profit that could recover its costs. So for this purpose, PT KAI is expected to continue increasing its services in the future," he said.           However, the state-owned railway company will need a fund of at least Rp9 trillion to build the country's railway system with double tracks, particularly in Java island where the mobility of travelers using trains is increasing.          Speaking to the press at Gambir Railway Station in Central Jakarta in responding to the Pemalang train accident this week, Railway System Director General Tundjung Inderawan said Java's double track railways could be built if the fund of that amount was available.          He said that the construction of double tracks on Java's northern and southern lanes had been planned by the government as one of  its steps to develop the country's land infrastructure sector.          According to the director general, lane sections that already have double tracks are the Jakarta-Cirebon and the Cikampek-Purwokerto sections. Other sections where construction of double tracks are already underway included that in the middle lane which passes by Purwokerto and that in northern lane which stretches from Larangan to Petarukan.          "The development of others like the Semarang-Surabaya section should be completed," said Tundjung Inderawan.          President Director of PT KAI Ignasius Jonan said that the double track railways that should be built in Java had length of sections of 400 km.          According to Tunjdung Inderawan, besides for developing new double track railways, the Rp9 trillion is also needed to revitalize old tracks, replace railway sleepers, improve rail curvature and other railway improvement.          But due the limited funds from the government, the directorate general of railway system was forced to work out a partial funding program, the director general said.          He admitted that his directorate general faced fund problems in the development of railway infrastructure and in revitalizing old railway tracks. The government could not meet the budget proposal every year.  "The government usually only approves about 40 to 50 percent of the budget proposal," he said.          Therefore, apart from the government PT KAI is also allowed based on the law to seek for funds from the private sector. In certain locations, the construction of double track railways has involved contractors from Japan, for example, or from France. ***2*** (T.A014/A/HAJM/12:35/A/O001) 09-10-2010 12:39:3