Indonesia bolster railroad cooperation with Japan

Indonesian State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir at Pasar Senen Station, Jakarta on April 18, 2023. (Photo: antaranews.com)

Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesian State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir has said Indonesia will discuss cooperation in developing the railroad ecosystem and blueprints of trains in Java and Sumatra with Japan at the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Hiroshima in May.

According to the minister, Japan is one of the countries with good railroad management and ecosystems. An optimal railroad system is expected to increase public interest in using public transportation for their daily activities. In addition, it is also expected to bring down the use of private vehicles and support the adoption of a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle.

He affirmed that if Indonesia wants to reduce the use of private vehicles, the train is one of the solutions and he’s also optimistic that if the country can improve the relationship with Japan regarding railroad management and ecosystem, Indonesia can solve the problem because Japan is one of the countries with the best train ecosystems.

The official said that in the last three years, his ministry has been actively pushing for train reparation that needs support from the community and other government stakeholders to serve the public.

He said that in the future, his ministry will seek to encourage repair facilities and support from the community and government stakeholders to accommodate the public's needs.

The summit in Hiroshima is scheduled to start on May 19 and will last for three days./.