Jakarta (29/04) -In order to anticipate the development of Railway technology 4.0 and improve the quality of Testing Human Resources, the Directorate General of Railways of the Ministry of Transportation refreshed the Facilities and Infrastructure Testers of Railways on Wednesday (28/04) to Thursday (29/04). This activity was carried out virtually considering the pandemic conditions that had not subsided. In the opening remarks of the Director General of Railways, which was read by the Director of Railway Safety, Dedy Cahyadi, it was stated that this refresher activity was carried out to update the knowledge of the examiners so that they could adapt to technological developments. "We are now able to build the LRT and MRT with technology which of course has adopted advances in world railway technology. Therefore, it is necessary to examine human resources who have the skills and abilities in accordance with the technology used, "said Dedy.

It was further emphasized that the testing staff, both facilities and infrastructure examiners, must have global capabilities. "The bottom line is that we need human resources for examiners who are reliable, professional, responsive to technological developments and social conditions of society and have global competence," added Dedy. So it is hoped that not only national railway technology will develop following global technological developments, but the ability of the testing staff must also adjust so that the test results can still be accounted for.

In line with this, in his report, Dedy revealed that the main objective of this activity was to improve the competence of the examiners. "It is hoped that after two days, participants can gain related knowledge from the materials in the infrastructure and railway facilities provided by the resource persons so that they can support the tasks of the examiners," said Dedy.

This testing HR refresher activity was filled with exposure to resource persons related to railway technology, both from the operator and other stakeholders. Opened with remarks, the first day of this activity was filled with resource persons from the Railway Testing Center, TUV Rheinland, the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China Jakarta-Bandung (KCIC), and representatives of the Jabodebek LRT. While the second day of the activity, which was attended by 220 examiners, was filled with three separate virtual classes. Each class is divided based on the focus of the discussion; Class A discusses railway lines and buildings, Class B discusses rail operating facilities, and Class C discusses railroad facilities.

Each resource person in this activity conveyed the development of technology used in national railway operations, according to the background of each. The development and application of these new technologies is a challenge that needs to be faced by testing personnel within the Directorate General of Railways. "The transfer of knowledge about the technology used, needs to be mastered by the examiners so that we are not confused about the obstacles that may arise in the operation of these technologies later," said Deputy General Manager Operation & Maintenance of PT KCIC, Deddy Gamawan.

Technology transfer is also an issue that is also discussed in this virtual activity. In his presentation, the Head of BPPT, Hammam Riza, said that the spirit of technology transfer was in line with President Joko Widodo's vision of developing an innovation-based economy. "National economic development must begin to shift from commodity-based to innovation-based by involving academics in technology development," said Hammam.

In the context of the operation of the railway, Hammam said that currently BPPT already has and is developing the technology used in testing railway facilities and infrastructure. "BPPT is developing aerodynamics, aeroacoustics, and structural strength test facilities to complement the technology used for railway testing," added Hammam. Closing his presentation, Hammam emphasized the need for collaboration in technology development. "Of course this innovation will not roll without us working hand in hand," he said.

In addition to the issue of technology transfer and technology mastery by testing personnel, the development of railway technology has also opened up gaps in the regulations governing the operation of railways. Therefore, the Head of the Railway Testing Center, Yuwono Wiarco, said that the Government is currently working on harmonization of related regulations. “With the latest technology, there could be many things that have not been covered by our regulations. Therefore, harmonization is carried out so that (regulation) can be more in line with developments in the field," said Yuwono. Yuwono also emphasized that in the harmonization of this regulation, the operator as the executor of the railway operator can directly provide input to the Government. (SPN/HJA)