House approves KAI plan to import used Japanese trains as local production lags
Lawmakers have green-lit a plan to import used trains from Japan, which has a compatible railway system, as KAI projects the shortfall in trains to peak at 45 in 2029 amid growing demand from Commuter Line passengers.
The Indonesian House of Representatives has approved a plan to import used trains from Japan to combat a growing shortage of rolling stock on the Commuter Line network in Greater Jakarta. State-owned railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) plans to import seven 12-car trains and 16 eight-car trains, which are expected to operate for a decade as a temporary solution.
KAI President Director Bobby Rasyidin informed lawmakers that the imported trains would be utilized to their maximum capacity for the next ten years, serving as a bridging solution to meet current rolling stock needs. Commission VI, overseeing state-owned enterprises, approved the import plan, emphasizing that the used trains would be a temporary measure while the domestic railway industry works to expand its rolling stock manufacturing capacity.
Bobby stated that the shortfall in trains is projected to peak at 45 trains in 2029 due to faster passenger demand growth than the local manufacturer PT Industri Kereta Api (INKA) can produce. The used trains will be sourced from Japan due to the compatibility of its railway system with Indonesia's, including track gauge, rail power distribution system, and overhead line equipment.
Written by urgent.news from The Jakarta Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
