The service would serve the Surabaya-Jakarta route with a twice daily service, said Pelindo III spokesman Edi Priyanto. The service will be operated by state railway operator PT kereta Api Indonesia's (KAI) logisitics unit PT Kereta Api Logistik together with Pelindo III's subsidiary, PT Terminal Petikemas Surabaya.
The train will initially connect the port with the nearby Petikemas Surabaya train station but will serve other stations in future. The service will run with 15 to 30 cars and have an estimated annual capacity of 43,800 teu. Edi said that during the first stage, the priority would be given to reefer containers carrying agricultural products. This is seen as critical to cutting down on dwelling time from the current five days as container volume at Tanjung Perak Port has reached 3.1m teu with an expected 10% growth rate this year.Pelindo III president director Djarwo Surjanto said one factor causing long waiting times was the limited transportation available as there is still a heavy reliance on trucks for the land transport segment.
"Traffic jams and a limited number of trucks are among the things that cause the containers to not be taken out from the port quickly," he said Edi noted that a cargo train had existed since 1994 before it ceased operation in 2004. It was unclear why the service was stopped in the first place.
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