The 600 billion yen project will begin to be implemented next year after the Japanese government, at a meeting earlier this week, made a commitment to provide the needed funds.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Construction of a long-awaited Mass Rapid Transport (NRT) system to solve Jakarta`s road traffic woes is expected to begin early next year and be completed in 2014.

The 600 billion yen project will begin to be implemented next year after the Japanese government, at a meeting earlier this week, made a commitment to provide the needed funds.

"The investment needed to build the MRT is estimated at 600 billion yen," Japanese Minister for Trade, Economic and Industrial Affairs Yukio Edano said at a joint press conference with Chief Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa on Thursday.

The announcement of the Japanese commitment on Thursday constituted an answer to the government`s question so far on whether or not the Japanese government was serious about intending to cooperate in the Jakarta MRT project.

Last April, Transportation Minister Freddy Numberi said the government would rely on state-owned enterprises for the funding of mass rapid transport development because Japan` had been vacillating after initially showing an interest in it.

"(Japan has remained undecided) including JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency). At the time, they said they would earmark Rp10 trillion in funds for the project but until now there has been no follow-up by the Japanese so that the government thinks we had better push the state-owned companies to go ahead first," the minister said in April.

The Japanese commitment was announced on Thursday during a second MPA (Metropolitan Priority Area for Investment and Industrial Development) meeting between the governments of Indonesia and Japan.

The Jakarta MRT system is one of the potential fast track projects included in the MPA scheme which as a whole is estimated to be worth three billion yen.

"This is only an estimate. We have to study the details in the master plan first. When the preparations are completed and tenders are about to be opened, we will be able to reveal the overall value," the Japanese minister said.

Chief Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa said meanwhile that the MRT system was part of the potential fast tract projects included in the MPA. "We call it a fast track project because it is given first priority and expected to be completed before the end of 2014," Hatta said.

Hatta said funds for the MRT project would be obtained under Japan`s Official Development Assistance (ODA) program. The MRT project would be executed by Japanese and Indonesian companies.

"Construction of the MRT system that will run from the north to the south of Jakarta will begin next year. Its expansion stage will be proposed later and will be followed with the next stage that will run from the east to the west," the minister said.

Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo said recently construction of the MRT system would be started at the end of 2011 or at the beginning of 2012. "We hope the tender on the project will be finished at the end of the year so that its construction can be started at the beginning of 2012 (at the latest)," Fauzi Bowo said.

The Jakarta city government is preparing the supporting infrastructure for the MRT project, including overhauling the Lebak Bulus soccer stadium which would be transformed into a station and central depot for mass transportation equipment.

It will select one of three locations --two across Jalan TB Simatupang and one in Jalan Ampera, South Jakarta -- it is studying as a substitution to the Lebak Bulus soccer stadium. The substitute stadium will be built in 2013 after land clearance in 2012.

Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo said the first MRT stage would cover the Utara-Selatan, Lebakbulus-Hotel Indonesia route stretching 15.5 kilometers long, with 10.5 kilometers elevated on the surface and five kilometers underground.

Six underground stations would be built along the route, namely at Masjid Al Azhar, Istora Senayan (Ratu Plaza), Bendungan Hilir, Setiabudi, Dukuh Atas, Bundaran Hotel Indonesia, and seven elevated stations, namely at Lebak Bulus, Fatmawati, Cipete Raya, H Nawi, Blok A, Blok M and Sisingamangaraja.

"In the beginning of the operation, the MRT will have a capacity to carry 212,000 people per day, which can be raised to 960,000 per day. The route can be covered in 30 minutes and the tickets will be integrated with the other relevant modes of transportation," he said.

The train headway in the first stage are projected at five minutes, which could be increased to every three minutes.

For that purpose, up to 144.322 billion yen would be needed or Rp15 trillion. About 120.017 billion yen of the funds would a loan. Only 0.2 pct amounting to 24.305 billion yen will be drawn from the State Budget and regional budget.

Jakarta residents who face traffic jams every day badly need the MRT system. According to experts, Jakarta should now have MRT system to solve its traffic woes.

"Now is the time for the government to give a special attention to the development of mass rapid transportation system. This is one of the keys to overcome traffic woes in big cities, including Jakarta," Djoko Setijowarno, a transportation expert of the Semarang-based Soegijopranoto Catholic University, said.

Djoko said that so far the government had ignored the mass rapid transportation system while focusing on providing subsidized fuel oil for private cars and building smooth road infrastructure such as toll roads.

"This year alone, the government set aside Rp3.8 trillion for the toll road management board (BPJT) for land clearance while a budget for a mass transport system is relatively lower than that figure," he said. (*)

Reporter: By Andi Abdussalam
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2011