City asks govt to prioritize MRT<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, Jakarta<\/p>\n
FThe city administration has requested the Ministry of Finance and
\nthe National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) to prioritize
\nthe construction of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system this
\nyear.<\/p>\n
\"We have sent a letter to both institutions to include the MRT
\non their priority list,\" Assistant to the City Secretary for
\nDevelopment Affairs IGKG Suena said at City Hall on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
He said the US$600-million mega project would be in the hands
\nof the Ministry of Communications.<\/p>\n
\"If the project is prioritized by the two institutions this
\nyear, the MRT construction can be underway by the end of next
\nyear,\" he added.<\/p>\n
The 14-kilometer project will stretch from Dukuh Atas in
\nCentral Jakarta to Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Suena explained that three kilometers of the MRT track would
\nrun underground, while the rest would be elevated.<\/p>\n
\"The underground section will run from Ratu Plaza to Dukuh
\nAtas,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Should the construction of the MRT proceed, the city's traffic
\ncould be more hectic in the near future, as the administration
\nhas decided to start the construction of the monorail and new
\nbusway projects this year.<\/p>\n
\"The (MRT) project will be financed under a soft-loan scheme
\nby the Japanese government for 40 years, with 0.4 percent
\ninterest per year,\" said Suena.<\/p>\n
The government and the administration will clarify their
\nrespective obligations to repaying the loan at a later date.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, City Secretary Ritola Tasmaya said the
\nadministration was financially prepared to support the MRT
\nproject.<\/p>\n
He added that the Japan Bank for International Corporation
\n(JBIC) might finance the construction of the MRT under a 50-50
\nfinancial scheme.<\/p>\n
The MRT system has been planned since 1995 by a consortium
\ncomprising Japanese, European and Indonesian companies. The plan,
\nhowever, was postponed following the monetary crisis that hit the
\ncountry in mid-1997.<\/p>\n
The original plan revealed that the MRT would stretch for
\naround 15 kilometers from Jl. Fatmawati in South Jakarta to Kota
\nin West Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Transportation experts have repeatedly said that the MRT --
\nwhich could accommodate some 10,000 commuters per hour -- would
\nbe a better solution to the city's traffic problems than the
\nbusway, which kicked off on Jan. 15, and the monorail system. The
\nbusway and monorail, which are identified as the Light Rapid
\nTransit (LRT) system, will each has a capacity of 2,500
\npassengers per hour.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/city-asks-govt-to-prioritize-mrt-1447899208",
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