Transportation expert says LRT construction to residential areas should be prioritised

Transportation expert Deddy Herlambang argues that Light Rail Transit (LRT) construction to residential areas should be prioritised. This follows the Jakarta provincial government’s decision to build the LRT route from Velodrome to Manggarai to Dukuh Atas. According to Deddy, building LRT to residential areas would make public transport more accessible for residents. ‘This is regrettable as the chosen route is from Manggarai to Dukuh Atas, where KRL services already exist, so LRT could simply transit,’ Deddy said when contacted in Jakarta on Monday. He stated that land in the Dukuh Atas area is extremely limited, raising concerns about worsening surrounding conditions if an LRT station is built there. Therefore, he believes the Jakarta provincial government should prioritise LRT construction in residential areas. It is known that the Jakarta provincial government will build the Velodrome-Manggarai to Dukuh Atas LRT route, spanning 14.2 kilometres. ‘Yesterday, I made the decision in a meeting after receiving inputs, suggestions, considerations, and the fiscal capacity of the Jakarta government. For the LRT, the decision was to extend from Manggarai to Dukuh Atas to complete one line from Velodrome to Dukuh Atas,’ said Pramono. He noted that the budget or investment for the Velodrome-Dukuh Atas LRT construction would increase to Rp2.7 trillion. Pramono assessed the decision was made to ensure the route is completed thoroughly. After this route is completed, construction will continue with the Velodrome to Jakarta International Stadium (JIS), Ancol, PIK 2, and Soekarno-Hatta Airport route. ‘From Velodrome, JIS, Ancol, it will then continue to PIK 2 and Soekarno-Hatta. The route will be completed later. Currently, only up to Ancol is finished,’ Pramono said.