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THE NUSANTARA Capital Authority (OIKN) announced that construction of the train connecting Balikpapan’s Sepinggan Airport with IKN is targeted to be completed in 2030 and regional train construction is earmarked to commence after 2035.
Deputy for OIKN Facilities and Infrastructure Silvia Halim told ANTARA in Jakarta on Thursday that train, as a mode of transportation, is currently being prepared.
“Both the airport train connecting Sepinggan Balikpapan Airport with IKN and the regional train line connecting IKN, Balikpapan, Samarinda, and the surrounding areas. The construction of the Sepinggan-IKN Airport train is targeted for completion in 2030,” she said.
Silvia explained that the train connecting Sepinggan Balikpapan Airport to IKN was actually built first because it is expected to be completed in 2030. Meanwhile, the regional train line connecting IKN, Samarinda, Balikpapan, and the surrounding areas is currently in the study stage, where the route plan is under initial study.
Later, further studies will need to be conducted in the form of a feasibility study and basic engineering design before it can be implemented.
“Of course, we will see the implementation according to the development of the IKN city. In the initial stage, of course, we do not expect it to be built because, based on the master plan, we expect that construction might start after 2035 for regional trains,” she noted.
She remarked that the plan to build the Sepinggan-IKN Airport train and regional trains aligns with the target of 80 percent public transportation usage in IKN.
“This is precisely the target of our plan because this is in line with IKN, namely the target of 80 percent public transportation (usage),” Silvia stated.
The airport train connecting IKN-Sepinggan Balikpapan Airport aims to be a transit-based macro transportation mode that connects IKN and Balikpapan as well as facilitates inter-city accessibility.
The airport train is expected to reduce travel time between the IKN Central Government Core Area (KIPP) and Sepinggan Balikpapan Airport by approximately 34 minutes, with a distance of around 46.06 kilometers. [antaranews]
