Subway project to be studied thoroughly

Subway project to be studied thoroughly

JAKARTA (JP): A project management team in charge of the
construction of Indonesia's first subway system will first
undertake a thorough study of both the technical and financial
aspects of the project, an official of the City Administration
said yesterday.

The official, who requested anonymity, told reporters that the
team would be assessing the viability of the project, which is to
link Blok M in Central Jakarta with downtown Kota in West
Jakarta.

He said that the team, whose members are currently being
selected, would consist of experts from the Ministry of Public
Works, the Ministry of Transportation, the City Administration
and the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology.

"The team is also responsible for the basic design of the
subway project," he said.

The official said that the team, which will be headed by
Governor Surjadi, would be given a one-year period to prepare the
basic design, which will include recommendations on the most
suitable technology for the project and its cost.

"Whether the technology is too expensive or not has to be
studied thoroughly, because it will affect fare levels," he said,
adding that careful work was needed because the subway project
was a very expensive one.

He said that the project's mission, which was social welfare,
did not necessarily mean that fare prices would be fixed too low,
thereby causing losses to investors.

The official said that the team would be studying proposals
submitted by six multinational companies interested in
participating in the tender for the project. The six firms are
from France, Canada, Japan, the United States, Germany and
Australia.

President Soeharto has given a green light to the construction
of the 14-kilometer subway system to help ease the increasingly
chaotic traffic in the capital.

The government has decided to form a consortium of state-owned
companies, city-owned companies, and both foreign and local
private companies to build the subway at an estimated cost of
US$1.3 billion.

The subway system expected to be able to carry up to 290,000
passengers per day.

Under the plan to date, the underground train line will have
15 stations: Kota, Glodok, Mangga Besar, Sawah Besar, Harmoni,
Monumen Nasional, KH Wahid Hasyim, Hotel Indonesia, Dukuh Atas,
Setiabudi, Karet, Senayan, Senopati, Blok M and Panglima Polim.
(yns)