Environmental report key to subway's future<\/p>\n
By Novan Iman Santosa<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The fate of the proposed mass rapid transit
\n(MRT) project for the capital will be announced at the end of
\nthis year, with results of the environmental impact analysis to
\nbe a major deciding factor, an official said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\"We will wait for the Amdal (environmental impact analysis)
\nreport before making the final decision. The Amdal study will
\nstart next week,\" the Ministry of Communications' Director
\nGeneral for Land Transportation Santo Budiono said on the
\nsidelines of a seminar on urban rail systems.<\/p>\n
Santo said the Japanese government would finance the
\nconducting of the Amdal and the design of the planned subway was
\ncompleted.<\/p>\n
\"We really need this project to help lessen traffic congestion
\nin the city along the subway route,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Such a mass rapid transit system is a must in Jakarta because
\nthere are about 12 million residents traveling every day. The
\nsooner we implement the project, the better.\"<\/p>\n
According to a rough estimation made by the city
\nadministration, the subway project will save the capital annual
\nlosses of US$900 million caused by traffic jams.<\/p>\n
\"The Japanese government wishes to start the project as soon
\nas we acquire the analysis results,\" Santo added, while refusing
\nto disclose the estimated budget for the subway project.<\/p>\n
He explained that the budget would be taken from the Miyazawa
\nPlan and Special Yen Loan program, both provided by the Japanese
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
Tokyo gave its commitment to finance the project by promising
\na special yen loan at a 7.5 percent annual interest rate. The
\nloan will have a maturity period of 40 years and a grace period
\nof 10 years.<\/p>\n
The memorandum of understanding on the project was signed in
\n1995 between the Indonesian government, the city administration
\nand an Indonesian-Japanese-European consortium.<\/p>\n
However, the regionwide economic contagion which struck the
\ncountry beginning in mid-1997 led to the postponement of the
\nproject.<\/p>\n
B.J. Habibie, during his presidency from May 1998 to October
\n1999, agreed to continue the project and asked the Japanese
\ngovernment to disburse the loan.<\/p>\n
But the plan was opposed by the World Bank. In a letter, its
\nIndonesian country director Dennis de Tray asked the Indonesian
\ngovernment to review the project.<\/p>\n
Several other groups argued the government should not carry
\nout the giant project during a time of hardship.<\/p>\n
Proposal<\/p>\n
Under the initial proposal, the project would connect the
\nFatmawati area in South Jakarta and the Kota Railway Station in
\nWest Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The first stage of the project would span from Fatmawati to
\nthe National Monument (Monas) park in Central Jakarta, with an
\ninitial budget of some $1.5 billion.<\/p>\n
The project was also set to include an elevated track from
\nFatmawati to Senayan, with the possibility of it being extended
\nto Dukuh Atas. The track would be routed through a subway to the
\nMonas Park.<\/p>\n
In the second stage, the project would pass through the Monas
\npark to Harmoni and Kota railway station, with all the tracks
\nprobably underground.<\/p>\n
The seminar was organized by the Ministry of Communications
\nand the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) at
\nPresident Hotel in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Santo said Jakarta and other big cities across the country
\nwould soon need adequate MRT systems for growing populations in
\nurban areas.<\/p>\n
\"We expect that by 2010 about 50 percent of Indonesia's
\nresidents will live in urban areas. That's why we need the MRT
\nsystem in the cities,\" he said.<\/p>\n
During the meeting, the ministry's director of railways,
\nMardio Wibowo, spoke on Indonesian urban railways and the current
\noperation of the railway system in the greater Jakarta area
\n(Jabotabek).<\/p>\n
However, he refused to give more details on the Jabotabek
\nrailway development, saying he lacked such authority.<\/p>\n
Another official, speaking on the condition of anonymity,
\nrevealed the next double track project would link Jakarta and
\nSerpong, west of the capital.<\/p>\n
\"The French government will finance it under a special loan,\"
\nthe official said on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n
The second speaker was Iskandar Abubakar, the ministry's
\ndirector of urban traffic and transportation system development,
\nwho discussed an urban rail-MRT system in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Japanese industrialists, who also presented their papers at
\nthe seminar, mostly shared their experiences in their respective
\nsubway construction projects and other forms of MRT systems in
\nAsian countries, such as Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, the
\nPhilippines and Singapore.<\/p>\n
The speakers included representatives of Mitsui & Co. Ltd. and
\nKawasaki Steel, Obayashi Corporation, Sumitomo Corporation and
\nMitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kumagai Gumi.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, most of the Indonesian officials attending the
\nseminar left the room before the Japanese representatives
\ndelivered their presentations. (nvn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/environmental-report-key-to-subways-future-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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