Jakarta (04/03) – Director General of Railways Zulfikri was attended the  the One Year webinar of Solo-Jogja KRL: Faster, Closer, Tighter on Friday (04/03) as a resource person. In this activity, the Minister of Transportation, Budi Karya Sumadi, was also present as the opening speaker and keynote speaker.

At the beginning of his presentation, Zulfikri expressed his appreciation for the operation of the Yogya-Solo KRL for one year since it was inaugurated. According to him, the achievement of passenger occupancy during the pandemic was considered quite good even though it had experienced a contraction due to activity restrictions.

"The number of passengers, which exceeds two million passengers in a year of operation, shows the enthusiasm of residents of the Yogya-Solo agglomeration area in utilizing this KRL even during a pandemic," said Zulfikri.

Furthermore, Zulfikri emphasized that the presence of the Yogya-Solo KRL plays an important role as a form of commitment to sustainable transportation development. "The use of trains as mass public transportation has its characteristics related to its environmental friendly and fuel-efficient nature, especially KRL like the one in Yogya-Solo," he continued.

Zulfikri's statement is in line with the explanation given by the Minister of Transportation Budi in his keynote speech. Minister of Transportation Budi explained that the presence of the Yogya-Solo KRL was intended to reduce the dependence of the people in the agglomeration area on motorized vehicles.

"As an illustration, in 2018 alone, the number of people in Yogyakarta who use the highway mode of transportation touched 11,346,274.42 passengers per year," said the Minister of Transportation Budi. The amount conveyed by the Minister of Transportation Budi is unequal compared to train users in the same year.

Apart from being considered more environmentally friendly, the construction of the electrification of the railway line and the operation of the Yogya-Solo KRL is considered a solution to road congestion. "The government feels the need to bring rail transportation modes such as the Yogya-Solo KRL considering its more efficient nature in using space with high carrying capacity," explained Zulfikri.

In his presentation, Zulfikri reaffirmed the Government's commitment to developing the railway network, especially in Central Java Province. Zulfikri explained that currently, there are many connected train networks in this area, both for urban and inter-city rail transportation. "We will also continue to develop inter- and intermodal integration at train stations so that people can change modes of transportation more easily," Zulfikri continued.

Zulfikri said that inter- and intermodal integration is one of the main focuses carried out by the Directorate General of Railways (DJKA). "Especially in the Solo Raya agglomeration area, this KRL will later be extended to Palur, while the pioneer train network from Wonogiri will be expanded to Adi Sumarmo Airport," he continued.

Zulfikri also explained the concept of Transit Oriented Development (TOD) as one of the strategies to be implemented in expanding stations in the Solo Raya area. "Later on, developers and the surrounding community can build and use stations as activity centres such as TOD stations in big cities," said Zulfikri.

At the end of his presentation, Zulfikri invited the public to support the Government's efforts by continuing to enliven the Yogya-Solo KRL. "We are also building a depot in Solo Jebres while continuing the electrification work. Therefore, we ask for the blessing of the community so that our work can proceed well and smoothly," he concluded. (HJA)