Transport Minister Opens Up on Whoosh Extension to Surabaya Without State Budget
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JAKARTA, Investortrust.id —Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi confirmed that any extension of the Whoosh high-speed rail line from Bandung to Surabaya must proceed without a single rupiah from the state budget. He said discussions were ongoing, but that the Ministry of Transportation had firmly ruled out tapping APBN funds for the project, leaving all financing decisions to private investors.
The Ministry of Transportation has been weighing both high-speed and semi-high-speed options for the Jakarta–Surabaya corridor, depending on which concept investors prefer. Directorate General of Railways head Allan Tandiono explained that feasibility studies would determine the final alignment and technology mix.
Tandiono said the government had introduced potential routes to investors and was awaiting technical assessments. “We will first examine feasibility, then decide whether to run high-speed services from Jakarta to Bandung and mid-speed on the extension, or adopt a semi-high-speed concept throughout,” he said at the same event in Jakarta.
Japanese firms have already completed feasibility work for a semi-high-speed line along Java’s southern coast, while Chinese backers remain focused on the original high-speed blueprint.
Former Directorate General head Risal Wasal previously noted that the northern alignment study had been paused in favour of the southern-coast route, but that investment figures awaited the study’s outcome.
Risal added that once feasibility results were available, the government would immediately disclose the projected investment costs. “We’re still reviewing the feasibility study, and will inform the public as soon as numbers are finalized,” he said.