Makassar, S Sulawesi (ANTARA Sulsel) - A budget amounting to Rp40 trillion will be needed to develop the Trans Makassar-Manado railway project on Sulawesi Island, according to Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan.

"The funds will be used to build the two thousand-kilometer-long railway network at an estimated cost of around Rp20 billion per kilometer," the minister remarked here on Wednesday.

Jonan noted that the construction of the railway line is part of the Trans Sulawesi development program, which will connect all provinces on the island of Sulawesi in the future.

Therefore, the transportation minister expressed hope that the construction of the railway line, whose initial stage has been started in Barru District, South Sulawesi, can run smoothly.

"We hope the construction of the railway line connecting Makassar and Parepare can reach over 16 kilometers this year," the minister noted.