The South Sulawesi train began operating on a limited basis starting on October 29, 2022. The route connects Garongkong Station in Barru Regency to Mangilu Station in Pangkep Regency, or vice versa. The plan is to cross 66 kilometers of rail and serve 7 stations during a limited operating period.
This limited operation route will be continued gradually to Maros in November. If the limited operation continues to Maros, there will be an additional 3 stations to be served. These include Pangkajene Station, Rammang-Rammang Station and Maros Station.
Moreover, the South Sulawesi train can be tested by residents for free during the trial period. This train is operating once a day round trip. However, residents are asked to register in advance by requesting a permission letter from the train hall due to the limited capacity of the train cars. During the trial period, the train can only carry about 100 passengers.
According to the Head of the Railway Management Office, Amanna Gappa, the train has two different names based on the origin of the departure station. The train from Garongkong is called the Mainstay Celebes train while the one from Mangilu to Garongkong is called the Lontara train.
The train operated in South Sulawesi has the latest technology when compared to the trains on Java starting from fuel, carriages, to the width of the rail. The most basic difference between trains in Java and Sulawesi is in the width of the rails. The train in South Sulawesi uses rails with a width of 1,435 millimeters, while trains in Java are only 1,067 millimeters wide.
