Central govt, city to cooperate on subway

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

First there was the busway, then the monorail system, and now the city is once again dusting off the Mass Rapid Transport system, or MRT.

The Jakarta administration and central government are teaming up to start the ambitious US$767.66 million project in an effort to ease chronic traffic woes in the capital.

Part subway, part suburban rail system, the first phase will include three underground stations and nine elevated ones.

"We hope to complete the preparations in a year. Hopefully, we can start the construction work (on the MRT) in 2006," city development affairs official Hari Sanjoyo said on Tuesday.

The project would stretch from the Lebak Bulus bus terminal in South Jakarta to Kota in West Jakarta.

"Previously, we had a recommendation to build the route from Fatmawati (in South Jakarta) to Kota. But later, we realized that using the existing Lebak Bulus bus terminal would be easier and cost less than building a new terminal in Fatmawati," Hari said.

The MRT, which would have the capacity to ferry about 33,000 passengers per hour, is expected to be integrated with the existing busway corridor and the under-construction monorail.

The busway can transport around 60,000 commuters per day while the monorail is projected to carry up to 270,000 passengers daily.

The MRT construction is to be divided into two phases. The first phase would include the construction of nine elevated stations and three underground stations.

The first stage will be financed by a $521.75 million loan generated from foreign institutions and a $245.91 million loan raised from local companies.

Minister of Transportation Hatta Radjasa said the ministry would redraw the policies to allow the private sector to join in the project financing.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has thrown his weight behind the project.

Transportation experts have repeatedly said that the MRT was the most effective solution to handle chronic congestion in the capital although it would be extremely costly.

However, many doubt the construction of the MRT would be successful, given the many problems the construction would face -- the messy underground power, water and telecommunication networks, unstable soil structure and the recurrent flooding in the city.

The long-talked about MRT was first approved in 1974, and at one time looked like it would materialize in 1995 after the Japanese government gave its commitment to help finance the project.

But the financial crisis that hit the country in mid-1997 forced the government to postpone it.