Jakarta (07/03) – In celebrating the first anniversary of the operation of the Yogya-Solo KRL, a public discussion was held with the theme "Reflection and Exploration for One Year of the Yogya-Solo KRL Service" on Monday (07/03). The Director General of Railways, Zulfikri, was pleased to give a keynote speech in this activity by presenting speakers from academics, observers, and discussants from representatives of the Yogyakarta Operational Region 6 PT Kereta Api Indonesia as well as representatives of the KRL lover community.

At the beginning of his speech, Zulfikri expressed his appreciation for PT. Indonesian Commuter Train as the operator that serves the Yogya-Solo KRL operation for a year. Despite the pandemic, the Yogya-Solo KRL was still able to achieve a fairly good passenger occupancy. "Allow me to also express my appreciation to the people who continue to enliven and utilize the first KRL outside Jabodetabek," continued Zulfikri.

In addition, Zulfikri also explained why the Government chose the Yogya-Solo agglomeration area as the first area outside Jabodetabek to have train services with KRL, namely because this area has tourism potential and a fairly high level of community mobility. In 2019 alone, Surakarta City received 5,353,834 tourist arrivals, up 12.3% from 2018. "Meanwhile, in the same year, Yogyakarta City received 4,378,609 tourists, an increase of 6.7% from the previous year," he continued.

However, Zulfikri regretted the high dependence of the people of the two cities on road transportation. According to him, the comparison of local train passengers with road transportation is still very far. "In fact, the train is a mode of transportation that is fast, environmentally friendly, and tends to be more effective and efficient in terms of fuel consumption and space use," he said.

Therefore, Zulfikri admitted that his party was encouraged to develop the Yogya-Solo KRL so that it could reach the wider community. Other steps in improving services include increasing the electrification of railway lines and building KRL depots to increase the capacity of facility maintenance. Zulfikri is optimistic that this year, the electrification of the railway line can be completed up to Palu.

In addition to extending the electrification of the railway line, Zulfikri explained that the Government continues to strive for intermodal integration at stations serving the Yogya-Solo KRL. "This intermodal integration is carried out to improve connectivity and accessibility of the Yogya-Solo KRL service so that it can reach a wider community," said Zulfikri.

This integration is carried out by re-routing the Adi Soemarmo Airport Train and adding a local train service connecting Wonogiri Station and Purwosari Station. In addition, the construction of the station is also carried out by applying the TOD concept in order to realize the integration of urban transportation while at the same time aligning the construction of the station with the city's spatial plan.

At the end of his speech, Zulfikri invited the community to participate in efforts to develop the Yogya-Solo KRL. "We hope for your support and prayers so that the projects we are working on can run smoothly so that the presence of KRL for the wider community of Central Java and DIY can be realized soon," he concluded. (HJA)