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)