Bekasi-Tangerang monorail proposed to ease congestion

Bekasi-Tangerang monorail proposed to ease congestion

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A Malaysian firm has expressed willingness to invest in the
construction of a monorail to help ease chronic traffic
congestion in the city.

"We are ready to construct a monorail. Once we obtain
permission (from the governor), we will start," Ruslan Diwirjo,
chief executive officer of Indonesia Transit Central, a
consortium set up to develop the monorail project, said on
Friday.

The consortium also comprises local companies PT Adhi Karya,
Global Profex Synergy, and Radiant Utama.

According to Ruslan, the Malaysian firm, M Trans Holding, is
prepared to invest Rp 3.28 trillion (US$400 million) in the first
stage of the project, including the construction of stations.

The project will link Bekasi in the east and Tangerang in the
west, a distance of about 22.5 kilometers, via various major
arteries, including Jl. Casablanca, which is notorious for its
traffic jams.

"We have also sought approval from the Bekasi and Tangerang
municipalities, Pak Agum (the Minister of Transportation), and
the director general for land transportation (Iskandar Abubakar),
for the project," said Ruslan after a meeting with Governor
Sutiyoso at City Hall.

The monorail cars, which will use technology from the U.S.
that has already been applied in Malaysia, will be able to travel
at up to 80 kilometers per hour.

Meanwhile, Sutiyoso said that in addition to the Malaysian
firm, a British firm had also expressed its willingness to
develop a monorail system.

Sutiyoso, however, did not name the British company.

"There are private companies from Malaysia and Britain who are
willing to invest in constructing a monorail here. It's purely an
investment," Governor Sutiyoso told reporters.

Sutiyoso said that the companies would need at least
two-and-a-half years before the monorail would be up and running.

"I have told them that passenger fares must be cheaper than
the fares for other forms of public transportation. In addition,
it must be more comfortable for passengers," Sutiyoso remarked.

Sutiyoso said the monorail project was part of the Greater
Jakarta Transportation Plan that had been designed by a team from
the University of Indonesia (UI).

This blueprint for the future of transportation in the city
includes a monorail (light rapid transit, or LRT), busway (bus
rapid transit, or BRT), subway, and water transportation.

Earlier plans to develop an MRT system here were abandoned for
various reasons, including financing problems.

Meanwhile, Irzal Djamal, an assistant to the city secretary
for development affairs, said the administration would welcome
any investment in transportation by the private sector.

"But, all investment must be in accordance with the existing
Greater Jakarta Transportation Plan. Otherwise, we can't accept
it," said Irzal.

The city administration is preparing a busway project in an
effort to ease traffic congestion in the city. The launch of the
project, now scheduled for the end of the year, has been delayed
several times due to poor planning.