KAI Scraps Plan to Import Used Japanese Commuter Trains, Prioritizes Domestic Fleet

JAKARTA, Investortrust.id — State railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) will not proceed with its contentious plan to import used commuter trains from Japan, reversing earlier transitional proposals in favor of acquiring strictly brand-new rolling stock for the public.

KAI President Director Bobby Rasyidin confirmed the government’s firm stance at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta following discussions on the state railway's long-term operational priorities.

"There is none; we will not import used trains. Simply put, for the public, it must be new," Bobby said.

The policy shift resolves a protracted regulatory debate over whether to bridge acute rolling stock shortages through cheaper, quick-to-deliver Japanese trainsets or protect the domestic industrial base. With the import option officially shelved, the government is betting that local manufacturers can scale assembly timelines quickly enough to stave off severe service bottlenecks across the Greater Jakarta commuter network. Surging passenger volumes have already pushed infrastructure to capacity, leaving minimal margin for delivery delays.

Bobby noted that the government has instructed the railway operator to prioritize domestic manufacturing, designating state-owned rolling stock maker PT Industri Kereta Api (Persero), or Inka, as a primary supplier for the expansion.

"One of them will likely be Inka in part. It is mandatory to support the domestic industry," Bobby said.

Surging Ridership and Looming Fleet Cliff

KAI is prioritizing the urgent delivery of eight trainsets out of a broader 23 new trainset procurement program, which the company aims to fast-track over the next two to three years.

"There is a lot to do, so there are eight that are urgent out of a total of 23 trainsets. We will accelerate these 23 new trainsets within two to three years," Bobby said.

The cancellation of secondhand imports comes as commuter demand outpaces official projections across the Greater Jakarta (Jabodetabek) commuter line. Commuter ridership surged 11.5 percent year-on-year during the first half of 2026, far exceeding the initial growth forecast of 3 to 4 percent.

"This was an anomaly when comparing 2025 to 2026, jumping 11.5 percent in the first half. Daily passenger volume, which previously averaged under one million, has now reached 1.1 million," Bobby said during a hearing with Commission VI of the House of Representatives.

Alongside rising daily traffic, KAI confronts an escalating operational deadline. Around 92 trainsets are already 40 years old and require phased retirement. The fleet replacement crunch is projected to peak by 2029, when those trainsets hit 45 years in service, creating severe component shortages and mechanical vulnerabilities.

"The peak risk occurs in 2029, when these trainsets reach 45 years of age. At that stage, they are no longer viable; spare parts are unavailable, and structurally, the metal has begun to suffer from fatigue," Bobby noted.

KAI had initially pitched used Japanese trains as an interim 10-year stopgap to maintain operational service levels while Inka built out domestic manufacturing capacity, given that brand-new procurements involve considerably longer lead times.

"If we import new trains, it could disrupt domestic train manufacturing schedules in the future. Secondhand imports were meant strictly as a transitional bridge," Bobby said.