Sutiyoso to continue with delayed MRT project<\/p>\n
Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Governor Sutiyoso pledged on Monday that
\nthe ambitious Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project would be started
\nin his second five-year term.<\/p>\n
"I will work hard to make it (the project) happen during my
\nterm," Sutiyoso told reporters after meeting the new Japanese
\nAmbassador to Indonesia Yutaka Limura at City Hall.<\/p>\n
The governor discussed the continuation of the mega project
\nwith the ambassador.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso said the ambassador promised to help the city
\nadministration in developing the project, including providing a
\nsoft loan.<\/p>\n
"But the central government has always said that the project
\nis not a priority. It earlier used the Japanese loan for a double
\ntrack railway on Java island," he said.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso claimed that the project would cost less if sections
\nof the rail system were underground.<\/p>\n
He claimed that according to an earlier study, the project
\nwould be feasible, with a subsidy from the administration and
\ntickets sales.<\/p>\n
"With the subsidy and ticket sales, we could cover the cost of
\nthe project," Sutiyoso said without mentioning the amount of the
\nsubsidy.<\/p>\n
The project, which would span 15 kilometers from Jl. Fatmawati
\nin South Jakarta to Kota area in West Jakarta, was planned by a
\nJapanese, European and Indonesian consortium in 1995, and was
\nthen estimated to cost more than US$1.5 billion dollars.<\/p>\n
The Japanese government had given its commitment to finance
\nthe project that was estimated to be completed within five years,
\npromising a special yen loan with 7.5 percent interest per year.
\nThe special loan package would have a maturity period of 40 years
\nwith a grace period of 10 years.<\/p>\n
The project was postponed when the financial crisis hit
\nIndonesia in mid-1997.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso reiterated on Monday that the MRT was the only
\nsolution for the city's acute traffic problems.<\/p>\n
"The only way to solve the traffic problem in the city is the
\nMRT," he said.<\/p>\n
However, some transportation experts claim that the MRT is not
\nthe only solution, saying that undisciplined motorists and street
\nvendors as well as poor regulations contributed to the problem.<\/p>\n
In an effort to ease traffic congestion, the city
\nadministration plans to soft launch its delayed busway project at
\nthe end of the year.<\/p>\n
According to its initial plan, the MRT will be built in at
\nleast two stages.<\/p>\n
In the first stage, the MRT will connect Jl. Fatmawati to
\nNational Monument (Monas) park in Central Jakarta. It will
\ncombine an elevated track and subway.<\/p>\n
There will be an elevated track from Jl. Fatmawati to Senayan,
\nwith the possibility of an extension to Dukuh Atas, all in South
\nJakarta. Then it will continue via a subway to Monas park.<\/p>\n
In the second stage, the construction cost of which has yet to
\nbe calculated, the MRT would start from Monas Park to Harmoni in
\nCentral Jakarta and then terminate at Kota railway station in
\nWest Jakarta. This section would probably be underground.<\/p>\n
In a rough estimate made by the city administration, the
\nsubway project may save the capital annual losses of $900 million
\ncaused by traffic congestion.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sutiyoso-to-continue-with-delayed-mrt-project-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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