Coaches For Palembang LRT Train To Arrive In 2018

PALEMBANG, S Sumatra, July 14 (Antara) - Several coaches for a Light Rail Transit (LRT) train to operate in Palembang, South Sumatra, will arrive in January 2018 before the implementation of the 2018 Asian Games in the provincial capital. The South Sumatra transportation office had coordinated with the Transportation Ministry for the arrival of the coaches early next year, Nasrun Umar, head of the local office, said, here, Thursday. The coaches are being produced by Indonesia's state-owned railway manufacturer PT INKA in Madiun, East Java Province, and will be shipped to South Sumatra in stages. The implementation of the LRT construction project is currently being accelerated. The installation of rails is expected to be completed by the end of this year. The construction work has, so far, proceeded smoothly without serious problems, he said. The local transportation office has been monitoring the work routinely, he remarked. The LRT is expected to help reduce traffic in Palembang particularly during the implementation of the upcoming Asian Games. This will be the second time that Indonesia will host the Asian Games, with the first one being held in Jakarta in 1962, under President Soekarno. The 18th Asian Games, a regional sporting event for Asian nations, will be co-hosted by Palembang and Jakarta simultaneously from August 18 to September 2, 2018. Thousands of athletes from 54 countries are expected to participate in the games. The South Sumatra provincial administration, in general, and the Palembang municipal government, in particular, are determined to use the event to promote its tourism attractions in order to attract as many tourists as possible. To this end, they have been busy improving and renovating several tourist attractions in the city and developing infrastructure and facilities to support the tourism industry.