City awaits detailed plan of elevated railway

City awaits detailed plan of elevated railway

JAKARTA (JP): The city administration has not yet received the
detailed plan of the elevated railway project from South Jakarta
to downtown Kota.

Governor Surjadi Soedirdja told reporters yesterday that the
detailed plan of the project and the route of the railway must be
compatible with city planning. The details need to be checked as
early as possible, he added.

The construction of the US$0.8 billion elevated railway
will start next April.

Minister Haryanto Dhanutirto said on Wednesday the Citra
Lamtorogung group, in cooperation with PT Steady Safe, will
handle the project.

Citra Lamtorogung is controlled by Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana,
the eldest daughter of President Soeharto.

"The 18-kilometer railway project is scheduled for completion
in 1998," Haryanto told reporters after addressing the
coordination meeting between the Ministry of Public Works and
Ministry of Transportation.

Haryanto said the project was proposed to the government by
the company. "So, there is no tender for the project," he added.

"The elevated railway will be operated by the state railway
company Perusahaan Umum Kereta Api under a joint operation," he
said. He did not know what the private companies would get in
return from the government.

He said that the project will be cheaper than the 14.5-
kilometer subway project, which will link the Blok M area, South
Jakarta, and the downtown area, Central Jakarta.

The government has signed a memorandum of understanding with
an Indonesian-Japanese-European consortium to build the $1.3
billion subway project.

The Indonesian consortium, which is led jointly by PT Citra
Lamtorogung and PT Bakrie Investindo, a subsidiary of Bakrie
Group, consists of PT Pembangunan Jaya, PT Lippo, PT Kuda Perkasa
of Bukaka Group, PT Suhamthabie and PT Steady Safe. (yns/04)