Hermanto Dwiatmoko, Director General for Railways within the Transport Ministry, said that land clearing for Papua rail project of Sorong-Manokwari lane would be carried out this year. According to him, Transportation Ministry has completed the project’s feasibility studies.
The length of Sorong – Manokwari rail line would be more than 400 kilometers. Previously, President Joko Widodo calls for construction of railway infrastructure in Papua to commence this year.
President Widodo has requested the Transport Ministry to put the Papuan and Sulawesian railway projects on the 2016 priority list to improve infrastructure projects outside Java and cut the sky-rocketing costs of logistics in the regions.
Transport Minister Ignasius Jonan said the construction of the Sorong – Manokwari railway in Papua, which is to be 440 kilometers in length, would begin this year along with a 145-kilometer railway that would connect Makassar and Pare-Pare, Sulawesi.
„In 2015, we managed to build 106 kilometers of railway in Java, Sumatra and Sulawesi. For this year, we are preparing to build transportation in Sulawesi and Papua,” the Transport Minister said.
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