Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi inaugurated the soft launching of the Makassar-Parepare train for the Garongkong-Maros segment. Sulawesi’s first train operates by crossing 9 stations and a track length of 80 km. The inauguration of this limited operation was marked by the beating of a drum. The inauguration was held at the train depot located in Maros Regency. Budi Karya said the activity being held was historical because it presented trains in Sulawesi. He hopes that the grand launching will be held in May 2023 and attended by President Joko Widodo.
“Today is a historical milestone for Mr. President Jokowi’s aspirations to create Trans Sulawesi. We did deliver this at one point. I hope that in May, Mr. President will be present at the grand launching. This was proclaimed by the President so that not only in Java and Sumatra but the Indonesia-centric concept should be carried out. Real proof that trains are not only in Java but also in Sulawesi,” he said in Maros, South Sulawesi, Friday (2/12/2022).
According to Budi Karya, this train shows that development is not only happening in Java and Sumatra. However, development is evenly distributed in various regions. Furthermore, in this launch, Budi Karya focused on increasing public awareness of the presence of the Sulawesi Train and the tourism sector. He added, this train itself is still free until December.
For information, this train crosses 9 stations namely Maros, Rammang-rammang, Pangkajene, Labakkang, Ma’rang, Mandalle, Tenete Rilau, Barru, and Garongkong.
December 2, 2022, detikFinance
(https://finance.detik.com/infrastruktur/d-6438529/akhirnya-cita-cita-jokowi-terwujud-kereta-pertama-di-sulawesi-beroperasi)