Lahat Railway Workshop Strengthens Train Maintenance Standards in South Sumatra, Supporting the Reliability of Passenger and Freight Transportation
PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) continues to strengthen its railway rolling stock maintenance system in South Sumatra through the optimization of the Lahat Railway Workshop UPT. This unit serves as a strategic maintenance center supporting the continuity of freight and passenger train operations in the Regional Division III Palembang and Regional Division IV Tanjungkarang.
Vice President Corporate Communication KAI Anne Purba stated that the Lahat Railway Workshop plays a central role in maintaining the performance of rolling stock operating on routes across southern Sumatra.
“The reliability of train journeys is largely determined by the quality of maintenance. The Lahat Railway Workshop ensures that every locomotive, passenger car, and freight wagon is in optimal condition before returning to serve customers and support logistics transportation,” said Anne.
The Lahat Railway Workshop occupies a land area of 109,310.734 square meters, with a building area of 47,754.64 square meters and 36 tracks with a total length of 3,842 meters. This infrastructure enables maintenance processes to be carried out systematically, ranging from periodic inspections, technical engineering, major repairs, to final testing before the rolling stock returns to operation.
The Lahat Railway Workshop is responsible for 233 locomotives, 82 passenger cars, 5,979 freight wagons, 17 generator sets, and 27 special pieces of equipment distributed across Regional Division III and Regional Division IV. Throughout 2025, the Lahat Railway Workshop completed maintenance on 61 locomotives, 51 passenger cars, 2,431 freight wagons, 5 generator sets, and 4 special pieces of equipment. These achievements help maintain the operational cycles of logistics transportation and passenger services so that they continue to operate consistently and according to schedule.
In South Sumatra, freight transportation is dominated by coal, which serves as a major pillar of national energy distribution. KAI’s coal transportation volume in 2025 reached 57,522,994 tons, or approximately 82.4 percent of the company’s total freight transportation. This large-scale movement relies heavily on the readiness of locomotives and freight wagons that are regularly maintained at the Lahat Railway Workshop.
The role of the Lahat Railway Workshop also extends across regions. The workshop supplies spare parts to Regional Division I North Sumatra, handles wheel maintenance for Regional Division II West Sumatra, and provides technical wheel support for South Sumatra LRT. This integrated support strengthens KAI’s rolling stock maintenance ecosystem across Sumatra, enabling consistent quality standards to be maintained.
Anne emphasized that South Sumatra is one of Indonesia’s main rail-based freight transportation corridors. The stability of energy and commodity distribution depends heavily on rolling stock readiness.
“The Lahat Railway Workshop is the driving force behind the scenes that ensures freight trains, including coal trains, operate safely and on time. At the same time, passenger services are also supported by a disciplined and measurable maintenance system,” she explained.
In carrying out its operations, the Lahat Railway Workshop implements the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System, along with 35 Safety Management System procedures and 183 Hazard Identification and Risk Assessments. All processes are documented through SOPs, check sheets, as well as oversight by the safety committee and emergency response system to ensure that work quality is consistently maintained.
Digital transformation has also strengthened the performance of the Lahat Railway Workshop. In 2023, the unit developed the web-based SIMPRO application to improve planning accuracy and optimize spare parts procurement. The innovation received a Platinum rating at the 2023 TKMPN event. In 2025, the development of the internal testing equipment “Monster Aligator” for testing starter motors and alternator chargers improved the precision of inspections for electric traction equipment and led the workshop to receive 1st Place at the Indonesia Innovation Award (IIA) as well as the Diamond award at the 2025 National Quality and Productivity Work Meeting (TKMPN).
“Strengthening the Lahat Railway Workshop is part of KAI’s strategy to build a modern maintenance system that is precise and data-driven. Every piece of rolling stock operating in South Sumatra reflects KAI’s commitment to providing reliable, high-standard services,” concluded Anne.
Through the Lahat Railway Workshop, KAI ensures that freight and passenger train operations in South Sumatra are supported by a measurable and integrated maintenance system, while also maintaining the smooth distribution of strategic commodities that support the national economy.
VP Corporate Communication KAI
