MRT plan needs further study: Japanese envoy

JAKARTA (JP): Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Takao Kawakami insisted over the weekend the Jakarta administration's plan to build a mass rapid transportation system still was a long way from being realized.

"I've heard a lot of discussion (of the plan), especially in the private sector. So far nothing concrete has come from it," Kawakami said on Friday.

However, the ambassador said his government continued to study the plan.

Kawakami said Tokyo had to consider the viability of the project since it would mean a multibillion dollar investment for the Japanese government. Therefore, he said, Tokyo could not give a definitive start date for the project.

Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri voiced her support earlier this month for the Jakarta administration's plan to construct the US$1.5 billion 15-kilometer subway line, with the first stage linking Jl. Fatmawati in the south of the city and Kota in the north.

Governor Sutiyoso said last week the project would begin sometime next year. The planned project, he said, would be funded by a consortium of companies from Germany, Japan and Indonesia, with the Japanese government providing the majority of the funding.

"We hope the project, which has been postponed, can start next year," Sutiyoso said.

He said an open tender would be held to select who would win the right to construct the 15-kilometer subway line. Sutiyoso said he would meet with President Abdurrahman Wahid, who had just returned from a visit to Japan, to discuss the financing for the project.

Enthusiasts

The announcement sparked an immediate reaction from a number of parties, including local contractors eager to take part in the giant project.

The Jakarta Post received a number of calls from businessmen asking for the address of the consortium or the names of officials in charge of the mass rapid transportation (MRT) project.

The proposed subway would be the first of its kind in the country. The capital's poorly planned road system and the overwhelming number of private vehicles in Jakarta has led to chronic traffic congestion here.

However, it is unclear whether the proposed subway would ease traffic jams and reduce the number of cars on Jakarta's roads.

Local media reported recently that traffic congestion resulted in $900 million in losses annually for Jakarta.

Ambassador Kawakami said the Japanese Embassy in Jakarta recently completed a study of Jakarta's traffic system, adding that the study also looked at the possibility of constructing other types of MRT systems besides a subway.

"The study was completed two months ago ... but I have not received a complete report of it," the envoy said.

He said Tokyo would decide whether to fund the subway project based on the results of the study.

However, Kawakami stressed that Japan would continue to assist the authorities in Jakarta in solving the capital's traffic problems regardless of its decision on the subway project.

Noted economist Sri Mulyani suggested last week the city administration postpone the project, saying it was not urgent for the city's development. (04/bsr)