Garut (13/02) - Ahead of the operation of the Cibatu - Garut railway line, the Director General of Railways reviewed the readiness for operation with the board of directors of PT Kereta Api Indonesia on Sunday (13/02). The activity which was also attended by the Regent of Garut and his staff was carried out in the context of an infrastructure trial which was scheduled to take place on 12-19 February 2022.

In his speech,
Zulfikri emphasized that this series of testing activities is a mandate from Law Number 23 of 2007 concerning Railways to ensure the safety and operation of railway lines, buildings and facilities. "Currently, the safety assessment process is still being carried out by our safety and testing team to ensure the operational safety of the lanes and buildings along this route," he continued.

Zulfikri explained, based on the results of the safety assessment carried out by his team, there were several notes that needed to be followed up by the operator. "Therefore, through this review, we want to ensure the follow-up of our team's findings, as well as monitor the results of trials that have been carried out by the operator on Friday," continued Zulfikri.

The trial activity referred to by Zulfikri is an infrastructure test activity carried out by PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) on Friday (11/02). In his report, the Director of Operations of PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) Heru Kuswanto explained that the infrastructure trial activities went smoothly. "In yesterday's test activity, we lowered the facilities in the form of one CC 206 locomotive, 4 K3 trains, and one KMP3 train with a total weight of 290 tons to ensure the capability and readiness of the infrastructure," explained Heru.

After this series of infrastructure trials is complete, the Cibatu-Garut railway line will enter the trial and run stage. In this trial and run stage, the Cibatu-Garut railway line will be tested using limited passenger facilities. "This limited trial activity is a continuation of the ongoing pilot-free pilot activity, as well as to test the follow-up results of the findings that have been submitted previously," explained Zulfikri.

Furthermore, Zulfikri explained that if the entire series of tests went smoothly without a hitch, the commercial operation stage for the general public could be carried out immediately. "We received input from the Garut Regent that the operation of this route has been eagerly awaited by the Garut people. Therefore, we really hope that this series of trials can run smoothly so that people can immediately take advantage of this route to access train services to Bandung and Jakarta," Zulfikri continued.

The reactivation of the 19,063 km Cibatu - Garut cross is carried out in accordance with the spatial plan and development plan (RT/RWN, RIPN 2030) and is supported by the Decree of the Minister of Transportation Number KM 50 of 2020 concerning Assignment to PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) for Infrastructure Implementation. The Cibatu – Garut Public Railway. In addition, the reactivation of this route is deemed necessary to immediately operate to support the Garut Regency Tourism Strategic Area (KSPK). Therefore, when operating later, intermodal connectivity to and from Cibatu-Cikajang railway stations is one of the important things that will be considered to optimize tourism potential in the area.

At the end of his speech, Zulfikri advised all stakeholders and the community in Garut Regency and its surroundings to support the plan for the operation of this route. "We also hope that the community can be patient to wait until the entire series of trials can be completed because after all we want to ensure the safety aspects of the operation of this route later," concluded Zulfikri. (HJA/YRS)