New system 'may overcome congestion'

Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Transportation analysts have urged the city administration to focus on the development of an integrated public transportation system in 2008 to soothe Jakarta's chronic traffic woes.

The head of the City Transportation Council, Edi Toet Hendratno, said Wednesday the administration should consider integrating the already-established busway network with railway-based transportation in Jakarta.

"Trains are the most efficient and fastest carrier of people," he said.

As Jakarta already has an extensive railway network in place, the administration needs to do nothing more than connect train stations with busway stops, he said.

"We can use existing trains and railway lines that connect parts of Greater Jakarta. They're still in good shape but are under-utilized," said Edi.

"So under this new system, when a commuter takes a train they will wait no longer than 10 minutes for a busway bus to come," he said.

Edi said the council had conducted investigations into the combined system and had received a positive response from state-owned railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia.

"We'll submit the plan to the administration on Friday," he said, adding that the administration would make the final decision on the plan.

"The future of railway-based transportation is bright and Jakarta's traffic situation will be far better if the administration takes this seriously," he said.

After two decades of sitting idle, a circle-line train with the capacity to carry up to 400 passengers per trip was revived last month by the administration.

The air-conditioned Ciliwung train sets off from the Manggarai train station in South Jakarta, traveling through five municipalities.

The administration is also planning to launch a south-line train on Thursday that will connect Manggarai in South Jakarta to Depok in West Java.

Echoing Edi's sentiments, a member of the Transportation Study Institute (Instran) and chairman of the Jakarta Residents Forum, Azas Tigor Nainggolan, said Jakarta's traffic problems may be overcome if the administration decides to integrate the busway system and railway networks.

"We're expecting the administration to come up with a tremendous transportation solution this year and it would be good if it combined the busway and train networks," he said.

"The administration would only have to spend a minimal amount of money to develop the integrated transportation system because railway networks already exist in the city and it could use busway's seven existing corridors."

However, Azaz said the administration should investigate the performance and financial reports of the busway operator, dismantle the company's "corrupt" management and replace its "officials with professionals" before going ahead with the plan.