President Jokowi Officiates Maros-Barru Railway Line, Maros Railway Depot in S. Sulawesi
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo Wednesday (03/29) kicked off the operation of the Makassar-Parepare’s Maros-Barru railway line at the Maros Railway Depot in Maros regency, South Sulawesi province.
“By saying bismillahirrahmanirrahim, I officially inaugurate the operation of the Makassar-Parepare’s Maros-Barru railway line and the Maros Railway Depot,” the President said.
In his remarks, President Jokowi reiterated the importance of mass transportation development to connect provinces, regencies, and cities in the country. The delay in the development of mass transportation occurring in almost all big cities, the President added, has prompted people to use private transportation which potentially leads to congestion.
“As we now see, due to the delay in the development of mass transportation, both for passengers and goods, everyone uses private vehicles instead, resulting in traffic jams in all cities today, not only in Jakarta. Jakarta, Bandung, Medan, Surabaya, Semarang, Makassar are all jam-packed because of our delay in providing public transportation,” he said.
To that end, the President urged and expressed appreciation for the construction of the Makassar-Parepare railway line, which is part of the Trans Sulawesi Railway development. The President also expressed hope that the Trans Sulawesi Railway project will connect the regions on the island.
“I am very pleased and I appreciate what we have started, the Trans Sulawesi railway line, which later, God willing, we will continue from Makassar to the north, to Manado in North Sulawesi province,” the President said.
The President also expected that this railway line will not only be a transportation option for the community but also as a means to reduce logistics costs, meaning that it can spur the competitiveness of South Sulawesi provinces as well as Indonesia.
“If in the future we have many trains, including those for passengers, tourism, and goods, this will boost the competitiveness of our country because goods are transported by low-cost transportation means,” he remarked. (RSF/UN) (FI/MUR)
