Makassar (02/06) – The commitment of the Directorate General of Railways (DJKA) in providing railway infrastructure was reaffirmed on Thursday (02/06) through a report on the construction of the first railway line in Sulawesi segment 3 (three) which has reached an average of above 84% for the railway line in Maros Regency and 94% for Pangkep Regency.

Head of the South Sulawesi Railway Management Center Andi Amanna Gappa said that the completion of the construction of the railway line is still on schedule and he is optimistic that it will be operated in October 2022. "We express our appreciation to the community and all parties who have participated and supported the construction of this railway line," Gappa said. Gappa added that the support of the community and the Regional Government had an important role in realizing development, given that the process of completing land acquisition was long.

Gappa further said that currently his division has completed the construction of the line for Segment I along 16.1 KM, Segment II along 26.1 KM, and is currently in the process of completing Segment III along 67.1 KM from Pangkep Regency - Maros Regency. "Besides the construction of the mainline line, a 4.7 km siding track for access to the integrated port station at Garongkong is also being built and a 9.7 km siding track to Tonasa is being built by the PPP," explained Gappa.

The construction of the siding track in this project is intended to provide access from production centers to the port in order to encourage economic growth in the local area. This is because the Maros-Barru area has considerable economic potential. In May 2022 it was reported that the potential cement that could be transported was 6,000 - 10,000 tons/month from Tonasa and nearly 3.5 million tons/year from Bosowa to Garongkong Port by train.

In addition to the potential for cement transportation, this railway is also expected to maximize tourism potential in the Maros-Barru area. "This area is famous for geopark tourism, beaches, and culinary delights that have the potential to attract tourists if connected by train," explained Gappa. Gappa hopes that when this line is operated in October 2022, it can stimulate the economic growth of the surrounding community.

The operation of the Makassar-Parepare Phase I railway line in October 2022 will be opened for passenger transportation on the 71 km Barru Station to Marros Station, and for goods transportation on the Ramang-Ramang Station section to 80 km long Garongkong Station. Gradually, the operation will continue for freight transportation on the 57 km Tonasa-Garongkong section and for passenger transportation on the 102 km Palanro Station to Mandai Station in March 2023. Gapa concluded that “Currently we are still focusing on completing segment 3 for the Pangkep-Maros segment, hopefully in this fiscal year it can be completed and operated immediately so that it can be continued with land acquisition activities to build a railway line to Makassar City,"(HJA)