MRT idling at station, but has green light
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
The Jakarta administration is confident that the construction of the ambitious Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) will go ahead.
"Although the project will be partly funded by the central government, we have received confirmation from the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) that the MRT is among its shortlisted projects," Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso said on Friday.
"Hopefully, we can start the construction of the MRT next year."
The MRT will link Lebak Bulus bus terminal in South Jakarta with Kota in West Jakarta.
It had originally been planned that the MRT would run between Fatmawati in South Jakarta and Kota, but Lebak Bulus was chosen as a depot for efficiency reasons. The Lebak Bulus bus terminal will be expanded into the depot.
Sutiyoso said the project had received the green light from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
The President, he said, had promised to discuss the project at an infrastructure summit here in February.
Assistant to the city secretary for development affairs Hari Sandjojo, said the administration was preparing a report on the Environmental Impact Analysis (Amdal) of the project.
"We plan to make the Amdal available next week to receive public input," Hari told The Jakarta Post.
He said his administration and the central government would form a joint team to speed up preparations for the MRT.
The development of the MRT will be implemented in two stages. The first stage will include the construction of nine elevated stations from Lebak Bulus to Istora in the Senayan sports complex in Central Jakarta and three underground stations from Bendungan Hilir in Central Jakarta to National Monument (Monas) Park in Central Jakarta. The second will comprise work from the Monas to Kota.
The first stage is estimated to cost about US$767.66 million (Rp 7.128 trillion), while the cost of the second is yet to be calculated.
Transportation experts have repeatedly said that the MRT has great potential to reduce chronic traffic jams in the capital, despite its cost.
However, many observers have doubted the success of the project, given that messy underground networks and unstable ground coupled with recurrent flooding in the city might turn the project into a flop.
The project was approved for the first time in 1974. The government was on the brink of materializing it in 1995, after the Japanese government committed to providing funds for the MRT. However, the financial crisis in mid-1997 led to the project's postponement.
The planned subway route:
Nine elevated stations Lebak Bulus, (via TB Simatupang), Fatmawati, Cipete Raya, Haji Nawi, Blok A, Blok M, Sisingamangaraja, Senayan, Istora
Three underground stations Bendungan Hilir, Setiabudi, Dukuh Atas,
Depot at Lebak Bulus bus terminal (three hectares)
Second stage: Monas, Harmoni, Sawah Besar, Mangga Besar, Glodok, Jakarta Kota.
Speed : 32 kilometers/hour Initial headway : 5.5 minutes Planned headway : 3 minutes Capacity: 33,000 passengers hour/per direction
Projected demand 322,400 passengers per day in 2009 440,700 passengers per day in 2015