(Makassar 6/4) – The construction of the railway line between Makassar – Parepare, which had been long dreamed of, find the point of light through the Focus Group Discussion on the Development and Operation of the South Sulawesi Railways, which was held by the Faculty of Engineering, Hasanudin University, Makassar and Maska (Indonesian Railways Society) Sulawesi. South and presenting the Head of the East Java Regional Railway Engineering Center, who discussed many things regarding the latest update on the construction of the Makassar-Parepare Railway which is planned to be operational soon.

This event was opened by Prof. Dr. Ir. Muhammad Arsyad Thaha, MT. As the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Hasanudin University. There are two main events in the Focus Group Discussion, namely the Public Lecture and Keynote Speech as well as the Discussion Panel on the Development and Operation of the Trans-Sulawesi Railway. The Public Lecture and Keynote Speech speakers are Dr. Ir. Hermanto Dwiatmoko, Ms.Tr., IPU. as the General Chairperson of Maska. In this public lecture, Mr. Hermanto explained the development of railways in Indonesia starting from the history of railways in Indonesia to South Sulawesi. He also explained the initial stages of railway construction in South Sulawesi, starting from the master plan in 2001 to the construction until now.

Mr. Jumardi, ST., MT as the Head of the East Java Regional Railways Engineering Office was one of the speakers in this forum. He explained about the development of railway construction in South Sulawesi. One of the problems in the construction of the railway in South Sulawesi is land acquisition. Even so, the construction of the Railway in South Sulawesi continues. According to the plan, the trains operating in South Sulawesi are passenger trains and freight trains. The passenger train was originally a pioneer train. The South Sulawesi train will be operated in March 2022.

Then this forum invited M. Natsir Mardan as the Construction Director of PT. CRI (Celebes Railway Indonesia). PT. CRI is the Makassar-Parepare Railway Infrastructure Operator and has the authority to maintain and operate railway infrastructure in South Sulawesi. PT. CRI has a scope of activities, including the construction of infrastructure for segment F of the Makassar Parepare Railway, operation and maintenance (O&M) of infrastructure for segments B, C, D, F route Makassar-Parepare with the Government-Business Cooperation (PPP) scheme. ), between the Ministry of Transportation and PT CRI.

The last speaker in this forum was Prof. Ir. Sakti Adji Adisasmita, M.Sc., M.Eng.Sc., Ph.D., IPU. an academic, explained that the development of the railway business in Indonesia has grown rapidly. An example is PT. INKA which has succeeded in exporting trains abroad. The development of the railway business has also been integrated with the airport. In the future, it is hoped that the train will be able to integrate with ports, community residential areas, business areas, and tourism and recreation areas in Indonesia. (hmsbtpjatim)