Adi Soemarmo Airport Train be Made Free for 2 Months
Minister of Transportation Budi K. Sumadi, accompanied by Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo, tries Adi Soemarmo International Airport Train (KA BIAS) after its soft launch, at the Adi Soemarmo International Airport, Boyolali, Central Java, Sunday (29/12). (Photo by: Ministry of Transportation Public Relations)
Adi Soemarmo International Airport Train (KA BIAS) has started its first limited operation on Sunday (29/12) and will be made free for the next two months.
Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi expressed hope that the train will become the main transportation to and from Adi Soemarmo Airport.
“This is the first one in Indonesia that a train can directly enter the airport (the passenger terminal departure area). The time to reach the Airport from the city center is also very short,” Budi said at the soft launch of KA BIAS at the Adi Soemarmo International Airport, Boyolali, Central Java, Sunday (29/12).
Train travel time from Solo Balapan Station to the Airport is about 20 minutes while to reach the Airport from Solo during rush hour by car will take people about 40-60 minutes.
The train is part of the National Strategic Projects in accordance with Presidential Regulation Number 56 of 2018 on Amendment to Presidential Regulation Number 3 of 2016 on the Acceleration of the Implementation of National Strategic Projects.
Construction of the railway line from the Airport to the Station (13.5 km) costs as much as Rp820 billion using a multiyear budgeting scheme from 2017 to 2020. The railway line consists of an existing line from Solo Balapan Station to Kadipiro Station for around 3.5 km, then a new line from Kadipiro Station to the Airport Train Station for about 9.65 km.
In addition, Kadipiro Station and electric signaling were also built using the budget. The Airport Train Station and Solo Balapan Station were built by state-owned airport operators PT. Angkasa Pura I and state-owned railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI), respectively.
On the initial stage, 2 trainsets that can pack 390 sitting and standing passengers will be operated as much as 30 trips a day. The travel time from Solo Balapan Station- Airport Train Station and vice versa are each 19 minutes and 27 minutes.
Besides this Airport, there are other four regions in Indonesia that have railroad access to the airport, namely Kualanamu Airport Railink in North Sumatera, Minangkabau Airport Rail Link in West Sumatera, Light Rapid Transit (LRT) in South Sumatera, Soekarno–Hatta Airport Rail Link in Greater Jakarta.
The airport train is part of the integrated intermodal transport system in the city. The Solo Balapan Station is also connected to the Tirtonadi Bus Terminal via a sky bridge.
The operation of the airport train, according to Budi, creates a good integration between modes of transportation to support Borobudur Temple as one of the five “New Bali” or super-priority tourist destinations. In addition, the Ministry of Transportation has also made a “ring” or circle of railroad tracks that surrounds the cities of Cirebon, Yogyakarta, Solo, and Semarang.
The Minister also expressed his gratitude to those who had synergized and sought to realize the operation of the train, namely Commander of the Indonesian National Defense Forces (TNI), Central Java Governor, Regent of Boyolali, Mayor of Solo, PT. Angkasa Pura I, PT. KAI, and other related parties. (Ministry of Transportation Public Relations /ES)
Translated by: Fairuzzamani Inayatillah
Reviewed by: Yuyu Mulyani
