KAI can serve benchmark for ASEAN railway sector: director

Jakarta (ANTARA) - PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) can serve as a benchmark for the railway sector in ASEAN since it is considered to be a train operator with the most complete suite of services in the region, an executive of the state railway company said.

"With Whoosh, the first high-speed train in ASEAN, and other innovative trains such as the Suite Class compartment, KAI can become a benchmark for train operators in the region," the company's director of commerce, Hadis Surya Palapa, said on Friday.

KAI will hold the 44th ASEAN Railway CEOs' (ARCEOs') Conference in Bandung, West Java, from September 2 to 5.

The event will be a platform to share best practices in railway operation and maintenance, besides digital and commercial transformation. Participants of the conference will also get to ride the Whoosh, Light Rail Transit (LRT), and the KAI Panoramic Train.

The event aims to promote trains as a unifying force for ASEAN development, Palapa said.

Djoko Setijowarno from the Indonesia Transportation Society (MTI) said that KAI can become a benchmark in ASEAN's rail sector because it is considered successful in managing and operating various train modes.

"As an archipelagic country with a huge population, Indonesia has a complete mode of railway. We have trains to serve urban transportation, long-distance trains between cities, and a high-speed train," he pointed out.

Furthermore, the Nusantara Capital City Authority (OIKN) has initiated coordination with KAI for the proof-of-concept (PoC) trial of the autonomous rail transit (ART) in Nusantara, the new capital city in East Kalimantan.

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Representatives of eight Southeast Asian railway operators, including the Malayan Railway and the State Railway of Thailand, will attend the 44th ARCEOs' Conference.

Through the event, Indonesia will showcase its achievements and potential in railway development and increase international partnerships.