Work on city's triple-tier transit system to start

JAKARTA (JP): Construction on the triple-tier transit system to link Bintaro in South Jakarta and Kota in West Jakarta is scheduled to start next week, Governor Sutiyoso announced yesterday.

"We will start the project on Feb. 25 (Wednesday) and employ workers involved in the labor-intensive program," the governor said during a ceremony at City Hall.

The transit system is important as the city needs a better mass transportation network to solve the traffic congestion problems, he said.

President Soeharto's eldest daughter, Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana -- who owns the diverse Citra Group which oversee the project -- said 500 workers would be involved in the first stage of construction.

"We plan to develop the southern part of the project first," she said. "As for the proposed budget, there will be some adjustments made due to the depreciation of the rupiah," Siti said.

During the ceremony, Citra Group handed over Rp 2.4 billion in donations to help finance the labor-intensive program.

Construction on the long awaited triple-tier transit system project has been delayed several times.

In February last year, Bambang Soeroso, head of the Rp 6.2 trillion project, said its construction was expected to start in June. In April, he announced the groundbreaking ceremony would be postponed until late 1997.

Last December, Bambang announced a new schedule, saying the construction would be delayed for another two months because the company faced difficulties finding workers ahead of the Idul Fitri holiday.

"We are currently calculating the total budget for this project. When we first arranged the budget, one U.S. dollar was worth Rp 2,900. Now everything has changed. But we won't back away from the planned construction."

PT Citramoda Margakencana Persada -- a joint-venture company comprising Siti's PT Citra Lamtoro Gung Persada, the state railway company (Perumka) and state-owned highway corporation PT Jasa Marga -- is to develop the project.

The system is expected to begin operation in 2001.

Under the plan, the triple-tier system will consist of 23.65 kilometers of toll roads and 22km of light-rail tracks with 20 stops. There are to be four main stations -- Ulujami, Kebayoran Lama and Blok M, all in South Jakarta, and Kota -- and 16 secondary ones.

The light rail transit system, designed to have a 12,000- passenger capacity per hour, will consist of two lines: a Bintaro-Kebayoran Lama-Kota route and a Bintaro-Kebayoran Lama- Blok M-Kebayoran Lama-Kota route.

"We will start construction from Ulujami to Tanah Abang (Central Jakarta). Our priority is to free the land along the existing railway tracks from Ulujami to Tanah Abang," Bambang said.

He refused to provide details on the land compensation plan.

"Please, we are still calculating it. We haven't even started the land clearance. Wait for further details."

The company had earlier proposed a Rp 1,800 fare for the project's light rail transit (LRT) system and a Rp 6,500 to Rp 10,000 fare for its toll roads. It also requested a concession period of 50 years, excluding the four-year construction period.

When asked about possible adjustments to the proposed tariffs, Bambang said yesterday that the company would try its best to maintain the LRT fare, which was set between Rp 1,800 and Rp 2,000.

"LRT is meant to be used by the people... so we want it to be as affordable as possible for them. As for the toll road, we may adjust it later, after discussing it with the related parties.

"We will also avoid the use of foreign loans, because they will only become a burden in this difficult monetary condition." (edt)