The people of Sulawesi Island received good news. For the first time, they will soon be able to enjoy the train as a public transportation.
The work on the first railway line on Sulawesi Island, namely Makassar-Parepare segment three, has averaged more than 84 percent for lines in the Maros Regency area and 94 percent for the Pangkep Regency area.
The Head of the South Sulawesi Railway Management Agency Andi Amanna Gappa is optimistic that the construction of the railway line will still be on schedule in October 2022.
According to him, the success of the railway operation promptly requires the support of the community and the local government. This is because there has been a long process in the completion of land acquisition.
He explained that the operation of the Makassar-Parepare Phase I railway line in October 2022 will be opened for passenger transportation on the 71 km Barru Station to Marros Station section. Meanwhile, for the transportation of goods from the Ramang-Ramang Station to Garongkong Station, it is 80 km long.
Gradually, the operation will continue for freight transportation on the 57 km Tonasa-Garongkong section and for passenger transportation on the Palanro Station to Mandai Station section of 102 km in March 2023.
“Currently we are still focusing on the completion of segment 3 for the Pangkep-Maros segment, hopefully in this fiscal year it can be completed and immediately operated so that it can be continued with land acquisition activities to build a railway line to Makassar City,” he said through an official statement, Friday (3/6/2022).
Furthermore, Gappa informed that currently, his party has completed the construction of the line for Segment I along 16.1 KM, Segment II along 26.1 KM, and is currently in the process of completing Segment III along 67.1 KM from Pangkep Regency – Maros Regency.
“Besides the construction of the mainline line, a 4.7 km siding track for access to the integrated port station at Garongkong is also being built and a 9.7 km siding track to Tonasa is being built by the PPP,” explained Gappa.
The siding track construction in this project is intended to provide access from production centers to ports to encourage economic growth in the local area. This is because the Maros-Barru area has considerable economic potential.
In May 2022 it was reported that the potential cement that could be transported was 6,000 – 10,000 tons/month from Tonasa and nearly 3.5 million tons/year from Bosowa to Garongkong Port by train.
In addition to the potential for cement transportation, this railway is also expected to maximize tourism potential in the Maros-Barru area. This area is famous for geopark tourism, beaches, and culinary delights that have the potential to attract tourists if connected by train.
Gappa hopes that when this line is operated in October 2022, it can stimulate the economic growth of the surrounding community.
