Jakarta (29/03) - After being inaugurated by the Minister of Transportation, Minister of State-Owned Enterprises, and the Regent of Garut on Thursday (24/03), the reactivationof the Cibatu-Garut railway line will receive support from the Ministry of Transportation through the Directorate General of Railways in the form of PSO subsidies. This was conveyed by the Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi during the Cibatu-Garut Railway Reactivation Webinar, which was held on Tuesday (29/03).

Minister of Transportation Budi said the PSO subsidy will be aimed at the local Cibatu-Garut train service and the Cikuray train for the Pasar Senen - Garut. "This PSO subsidy is given to stimulate passenger growth by providing incentives in the form of affordable ticket prices," he continued.

Through this PSO subsidy stimulation, it is hoped that Garut Regency tourism can grow and rise. Apart from being known for its leather crafts, Garut Regency is also known to have quite a large natural tourism potential.

Since the colonial period, Garut Regency has been known for the beauty of its mountainous panorama. In fact, the legendary comedian Charlie Chaplin is reported to have visited Garut by train.

"Hopefully, the reactivation of this route can revive the charm of Garut Regency," continued the Minister of Transportation Budi. In addition, in the presentation delivered by the Director General of Railways, Zulfikri, it was stated that the reactivation of the Cibatu-Garut route is expected to increase the mobility of people and tourists to Garut Regency.

Zulfikri said that the estimation of the public and tourists using the Cibatu-Garut railway line could reach 4,582 passengers daily. This is in line with the reduction in travel time between Cibatu and the centre of Garut Regency with the operation of trains on this route.

In addition, by using a local train service, the travel time from Cibatu Station to Garut Station can be reduced to only 40 minutes. "Meanwhile, to reach the heart of the capital city, it only takes about 6 hours by train from Garut Station," continued Zulfikri.

In line with the spirit of reviving Garut Regency tourism, Garut Regent Rudy Gunawan said his party would prepare a touring car to take tourists from stations on the Cibatu-Garut train line to tourist destinations in the area. According to Rudy, this is done to support intermodal connectivity at these stations as directed by the Minister of Transportation Budi.

Furthermore, the Minister of Transportation Budi advised the Garut Regency Government to be able to develop tourism in the area. "So that the presence of trains in this area can be balanced with the readiness of other tourism infrastructure," he concluded.

After it was inaugurated, the public can enjoy the Cikuray Train (KA) service from Pasar Senen Station to Garut Station with a ticket price of IDR 45,000. Meanwhile, the ticket price for the Cibatu-Garut local train is IDR 6,000. (HJA)