Kick Off for Infrastructure and Rolling Stock Repair of Sawahlunto - Muaro Kalaban Railway

The repair of railway infrastructure and rolling stock to support the reopening of the Sawahlunto – Muaro Kalaban railway line has commenced through a ceremonial kick-off held at Sawahlunto Station on Friday (1/7). This kick-off is a follow-up to the signing of a cooperation agreement by 4 state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in Jakarta on June 23, 2022.

Inspecting the Sawahlunto - Muaro Kalaban route using an inspection motor car during the Kick Off event for Railway Infrastructure and Rolling Stock Repair to Support the Reopening of the Sawahlunto - Muaro Kalaban Railway Line.

The repair work on the 4 km railway track and the restoration of the E1060 Steam Locomotive, commonly known as Mak Itam, is targeted to take 6 months. It is expected that the Sawahlunto-Muaro Kalaban railway operation can be launched in January 2023.

The Kick Off event was attended by Deputy for Human Resources, Technology, and Information of the Ministry of SOEs Tedi Bharata, Member of Commission VI of the DPR RI Andre Rosiade, President Director of KAI Didiek Hartantyo, Director of Operations of SIG Yosviandri, VP of Domestic Marketing of Bio Farma Fitri Puspa Dwi, VP of External Communication of Pupuk Indonesia Gilang, Head of the West Sumatra Transportation Agency Heri Noviardi, and Regional Secretary of Sawahlunto City Ambun Kadri, along with other invited guests.

“This kick-off marks the start of the infrastructure and rolling stock repair for the Sawahlunto – Muaro Kalaban railway line, which is full of tourism potential. The repair will be carried out as well as possible, with high precision, while continuing to prioritize safety,” said Didiek Hartantyo.

Didiek added that this is a special and historic moment where the collaboration of 4 SOEs will repair and reactivate a railway line full of history. Reoperating the Sawahlunto - Muaro Kalaban line will bring a new spirit to economic recovery through the tourism sector in West Sumatra via railway tourism, especially in the area designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, namely the Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto.

Deputy for Human Resources, Technology, and Information of the Ministry of SOEs, Tedi Bharata, stated that various hopes and aspirations of the West Sumatra community had been received by the Minister of SOEs, Erick Thohir. This serves as a concrete step taken by the Ministry of SOEs alongside all SOEs to boost the economy, particularly in the tourism sector in Sumatra.

”Collaboration among SOEs, local governments, the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), the National Police (Polri), and other stakeholders is highly essential for the success of this program. We from the Ministry of SOEs hope that all parties can collaborate with one another so that this program can immediately provide tangible benefits for the people of West Sumatra, especially Sawahlunto City,” said Tedi Bharata.

Regional Secretary of Sawahlunto City Ambun Kadri stated that Sawahlunto City has been a world heritage city for almost 3 years. She appreciated the Kick Off execution.

”Thus, we are relieved; the path is clear that this will definitely be implemented. Furthermore, it is also about how we share a mutual commitment to execute this so that the train can be glorious once again in Sawahlunto City,” concluded Ambun Kadri.

The infrastructure repairs consist of fixing the railway track, 2 bridges, a tunnel, signaling systems, station buildings, and a depot. It is necessary to replace rails and sleepers, as well as to add ballast, so that the train journey can pass through safely. The bridges will undergo painting and shoring up to make them more robust and fit for train passage. As for the tunnel work, KAI is conducting grouting or strengthening the tunnel walls.

The E1060 Steam Locomotive will be repaired so that its steam pressure reaches 8-11 atm and the braking function is optimized to meet the operational safety standards of steam locomotives. With sufficient steam pressure, Mak Itam can pull 2-3 carriages on a 17 permil gradient along the Sawahlunto - Muaro Kalaban line.