Freight train service at Perak port reopened

JAKARTA. State-owned port operator PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo III) has reopened a freight train service in Tanjung Perak, Surabaya, East Java, to help reduce dwelling time at the country’s second largest port.

Pelindo III president director Djarwo Surjanto said Thursday that dwelling time — waiting time for unloading goods — had already reached five days due to a lack of transportation options, especially trucks.

The freight train could be an alternative option to carry goods to or from the port, where freight traffic reaches 3.1 million 20-foot containers a year, Djarwo added.

Pelindo III public relations head Edi Priyanto said that the freight train at Tanjung Perak seaport had operated since 1994 but was stopped in 2004.

The freight train will connect the port with the nearby Petikemas Surabaya train station. However, in the future the train would serve other stations. “The operator of the train is PT Kereta Api Logistik, which works with Pelindo III’s subsidiary PT Terminal Petikemas Surabaya. It will depart twice a day from Surabaya,” Edi revealed.