MRT still lightyears away...<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Investors interested in the planned urban Mass
\nRapid Transit (MRT) system will be invited to apply for the
\nproject next year, a city administration official says.<\/p>\n
\"The government is scheduled to issue bidding documents in
\nSeptember next year,\" Eri Chayaridipura, chief of the City
\nDevelopment Planning Agency, told The Jakarta Post over the
\nweekend.<\/p>\n
However Eri said he did not know whether the bidding would be
\nopen.<\/p>\n
According to the planned schedule, the project will start in
\n1996. \"Let it not be said that the project is pending or that it
\nis falling behind schedule,\" he emphasized.<\/p>\n
Coordination meetings between the city administration, the
\nAgency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT),
\nthe Ministry of Transportation and other involved institutions
\nhave been canceled until an agency responsible for the project's
\ndevelopment is set up.<\/p>\n
The present 'agency' is not really an agency but merely a
\nstudy team, Eri noted, adding that 11 feasibility studies were
\nconducted between 1972 and 1990 on the project's system.<\/p>\n
Feasibility studies on financing schemes have not yet been
\nmade while studies on technical design began last month and
\nshould be completed by next September, he added.<\/p>\n
The government initially hoped that all the construction work
\nwould be carried out and financed by private investors because
\nthe government could not afford to use the state budget for the
\nproject, he said.<\/p>\n
Since the project will involve the public interest, however,
\nit would be impossible for the government to leave the whole
\nproject to the private sector, Eri said.<\/p>\n
\"The government must retain some shares in this project, but
\nit is not yet clear how many,\" he said.<\/p>\n
And it is also unclear whether the project will be open to
\nbidding from foreign companies only or if domestic private
\ncompanies will be required to be included as investors, Eri said,
\nadding that foreign bidders usually also offer financing schemes
\nand sources.<\/p>\n
Eri said one of the criteria used to select bidders is their
\nproposed tariffs, which should be within the reach of the general
\npublic.<\/p>\n
The city administration does not make the final decision on
\nwhich system to use. It is the central government, in this case
\nthe Ministry of Transportation and BPPT, which have the last
\nword, he explained.<\/p>\n
The city administration is expected to submit information in
\naccordance with the city's spatial plan on which road networks
\nare needed and which part of the city should receive priority in
\nthe construction of the project, Eri said.<\/p>\n
He believed that the north-south road network -- from Kota in
\nWest Jakarta to Jl. Fatmawati in South Jakarta -- is the traffic
\nlane of highest density and therefore should be the first to be
\nlinked up with the MRT system.<\/p>\n
Eri added that plans for the system often have to be reviewed
\nand changed in line with the city's growth.<\/p>\n
According to Eri, in proposing their versions of the planned
\nsystem, interested foreign investors should not think merely in
\nterms of their own socio-cultural backgrounds but should also
\nconsider those of Jakartans.<\/p>\n
\"One of the bad habits of Jakartans is littering. Companies
\nwhich propose elevated lines for light rail trains on Jl.
\nSudirman, for instance, should anticipate passengers throwing
\nrubbish from windows and creating a big mess underneath it, Eri
\nsaid. (arf)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/mrt-still-lightyears-away-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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