On subway project

In his letter Subway project (Jan. 29), W. Pienandoro raises an interesting point.

When, if ever, is the plan to build a subway from Blok M to Kota likely to materialize? I ask this question because, although I fully understand that its purpose is to alleviate the terrible congestion on a major traffic artery, it seems to me that it is the most difficult and most costly way to do so.

Tunneling is very expensive, far more so than overhead construction, and far more time-consuming. Therefore, before it is too late, would it not be prudent to consider an overhead (preferably electrified) railway system?

There are plenty of construction firms with experience in building flyovers etc., whose skills could be deployed to this end; but few, if any, I suspect, with adequate know-how for a major tunneling project.

Be it underground or overhead, this system is only going to benefit a very small proportion of Jakarta's populace. Surely it would be better to concentrate on improving the existing surface commuter routes to and from the central business and government office areas.

Like most other major cities worldwide, London has an extensive underground (subway) system, that has been built up over the past 100 years. The central area is either fully underground or on sunken tracks below road level.

As it spreads further from the center, it becomes just sunken, and eventually at road level. At its furthest, the system stretches to 40 kilometers or more from the city center, and thereby provides an indispensable commuter service to supplement the regular railway and bus services.

But, as I said, it has taken 100 years and vast sums of money to complete thus far, and extensions are still being made. This description would have been much more relevant and clearer if the map of London's underground system could be printed in this space.

RB SAWREY-COOKSON

Jakarta