Jakarta - The Directorate General of Railways (DJKA) has entered the final stage of the construction of the Yogyakarta International Airport (YIA) Train which was built from Kedundang Station to YIA. "In general, the physical construction of the YIA Airport railway line has been completed, there are only a few minor works, such as painting the station building, fulfilling passenger facilities, the station Chief's lounge, and also ticketing gates which are implementing simultaneously," said the Director General of Railways, Zulfikri, in Jakarta. (Tuesday, 10/8/2021).

DJKA started to build the YIA Airport double track back in December 2019, which consists of 2 segments, such as the segment of improving the existing line in the Kedundang Station area of ??1 km and adding a new line to YIA Airport Station of 5.4 km. In addition, this project included three main works, which are the construction of a 5.1 km long elevated track, including 16 bridge construction units and 300 m long at grade track, the construction of the Kedundang station and the YIA Station emplacement, and then operating facilities such as signaling and telecommunication. PT. Angkasa Pura I has especially built the Airport Station building and its overcapping.

"I need to say that the implementation of the Slab on Pile (SOP) construction is the first for a double-track railway with a length of 5.1 km. Previously, we have applied this method on the Adi Soemarmo Solo Airport Train, which has been operating for a single line," said Zulfikri.

Furthermore, Director General Zulfikri said that the SOP construction is a foundation system supported by a pile group system and tied by a pile cap (capping beam) which is used to hold and transmit the load from the superstructure to the soil which has a bearing capacity (spt value) to hold it. So the foundation system does not use backfill, hardening or concrete, but with several piles.

The selection of this SOP construction has taken consideration of the route condition, such as watery soil and frequent flooding during the rainy season or in swamps. "Considering the route condition towards the airport, which is partly rice fields that tend to be flooded, the application of this SOP is the right choice because it has several advantages, including faster construction time, easier to work on, more guaranteed construction quality due to precast manufacturers, land acquisition that does not too wide, and does not interfere with drainage or irrigation channels," he continued.

In addition, the construction of this SOP has been widely applied in the construction of flyovers, including highways. This technique is less expensive, with guaranteed structural quality and lower maintenance costs. "This flyover also eliminates level crossings, which have the potential to cause traffic jams," explained Zulfikri.

Director General Zulfikri also said that the Airport Railway Project is one of the National Strategic Projects that has been launched by President Jokowi with a total budget of 1.1 Trillion of the State Budget. "This massive budget is included in the DIPA of the Directorate General of Railways starting in 2019, on a multi-year basis. This is one proof of the Government's support in order to build a better national railway," concluded Zulfikri (spn/wid).