Govt offers Kalimantan coal railway project to Russia
Monday, June 18 2007 - 01:45 AM WIB
The Ministry of Transportation planned to offer the coal transportation projects in Kalimantan to Russia, prior to forthcoming visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Indonesia in September 2007, Sindo Daily reported on Monday.
“We offered the project of building of special trains for carrying coal in Kalimantan to an economic bank team of the Russian government because the potential is very huge. However, (railway projects in) other regions, such as Sumatra were also offered,” said Suprapto, spokesman for the Directorate General of Railway Affairs, in Jakarta on Friday.
Last year, Transasia Resources, which is led by a Russian investor, voiced interest to build a 297-km railway that will connect the Ampah area in Central Kalimantan with Tanah Laut in South Kalimantan.
Government is planning to build a railway network that will connect resource-rich inland Kalimantan with seaports to enable coal miners and other commodity producers such as palm oil to easily transport their products. A number of foreign firms including Japan’s Itochu Corp., Nippon Koei Co Ltd, South Korean companies POSCO and Canatect Co.Ltd and Chinese firms had expressed interest to participate in the project. (*)