Pulogebang project delayed indefinitely

JAKARTA (JP): The construction of a modern bus terminal in Pulogebang, East Jakarta, which was previously scheduled to start in July, has been postponed indefinitely due to financial problems, a city official said.

"The terminal project is canceled again because the company in charge of its construction failed to get loans to finance it," the city's secretary assistant on economic and development affairs, Prawoto Danoemihardjo, said over the weekend.

The loans are very essential for the project. "Under the current (monetary) situation, we can't be sure as to when the company will get the loans," Prawoto said.

At the presentation of the terminal's design to Governor Surjadi Soedirdja in April, Hajid, president of PT Rodial Eron, which will develop the terminal, said the terminal was expected to start operating in 1999.

Prawoto said that besides its failure to secure loans, the company has not completed its traffic impact analysis as requested by the municipality.

"The analysis is very important to prevent traffic problems that may arise because of the new terminal," he said.

The Pulogebang terminal, he said, was designed to replace the dilapidated and outdated Pulogadung bus terminal, which now caters to about 40,000 passengers a day on normal days and 80,000 a day during holiday seasons.

The plan to build the Pulogebang terminal, which has been delayed for almost seven years, is based on a property barter agreement signed in 1990.

Under the agreement, the municipality will grant PT Rodial Eron the 3.5 hectares of land where the current Pulogadung bus terminal stands. The company planned to use the land for shopping and office complexes.

Once the Pulogebang terminal is completed, PT Rodial Eron will also be given the right to manage the new terminal for 30 years, including commercial areas.

The seven-year delay has caused the company's investment commitments to swell from Rp 7 billion (US$2.37 million) to Rp 110.6 billion.

Out of the Rp 110.6 billion, about Rp 23.7 billion is set aside for land procurement and Rp 86 billion for construction. Pulogadung terminal's value is estimated at Rp 38.5 billion.

The Pulogebang terminal is billed to be the first modern terminal in the country where there will be no ticket brokers because only passengers will be allowed to enter departure or arrival platforms.

Per hour, the terminal is designed to accommodate 400 city buses from 50 routes and 300 intercity buses from 51 routes. (ste)