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)