Research on subway reaches final stage

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Surjadi Soedirdja said yesterday that the research on the possibility of building a subway in the city has reached its final stage.

The research is being conducted by the city administration in cooperation with the Ministries of Transportation and Public Works and the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology, he said.

"The research is expected to help the city choose the appropriate technology and calculate its investment," Surjadi told reporters after receiving a courtesy call from Senator Nobert Meisner of Berlin and the city's chamber of commerce yesterday.

He said that the subway system is badly needed to overcome the city's complicated traffic problems. The research includes projection on where a route will be built in the first stage and on its capacity.

"A subway is expected to become a new alternative in getting rid of the city's transportation problems, in addition to the extension of streets and the construction of more elevated roads," Surjadi said.

The governor also explained that there are a number of advantages in choosing the subway, namely that it will not change the city's landscape and not cause traffic jams and pollution.

"But the most important thing is costs for the construction of the subway should be affordable and I understand that this is also the hardest part because choosing this technology requires big investments," Surjadi said.

Meanwhile, the head of the City Planning Office, Udin Abimanyu, said over the weekend that fares for the subway was originally set at Rp 1,800 (US$0.82) per trip but that price was now considered unrealistic.

Udin explained that because the investment is very high the fare should be at least Rp 3,000.

Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto said last year that the government will construct an elevated monorail between Blok M and Kota by the year 2000.

The project will be the first phase of a mass rapid transit system which is aimed for completion in 2015. The total investment for the project was estimated at US$3.1 billion in 1990. (yns)