KAI to allocate 6 locos for coal transportation

State railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) will allocate six of the new 10 locomotives that will arrive in August for transportation of coal in South Sumatra.

The company?s commercial director, Sulistyo Wimbo Hardjito, said the operation of the locomotives were part of a contract signed by KAI and state coal producer PT Bukit Asam (Persero) Tbk in 2009. Under the contract the railway firm will transport 20 million tonnes of coal per year until 2014.

?Our capacity now stands at 12 million tonnes per year only. The new locomotives will increase our loading capacity,? he said on Tuesday.

The BB3O1 series of the locomotive, produced by General Motors Electro-Motive Division (GM EMD) Canada, is deemed as more powerful than the current series BB203 and CC202.

Wimbo declined to reveal the price of the loco, but indicated that it cost below Rp 30 billion each.

The new locomotives will operate on the Tanjung Enim?Kertapati route (159 km) and the route between Tanjung Enim?Tarahan in Bandar Lampung (419 km). The coal train plying Tanjung Enim?Tarahan route is the longest in the country as it consists of up to 46 cars. The train can carry 1,380 tonnes of coal. (*)