MRT construction 'sure' to start 2010, firm says

Tifa Asrianti, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 12/05/2008 11:43 AM  

PT Mass Rapid Transit Jakarta (MRTJ) is upbeat construction on the capital's new mass rapid transportation system will commence by early 2010 following a land acquisition process scheduled for next year. 

Eddi Santosa, the company's director, said he was optimistic the land acquisition stage could be completed swiftly, citing that only 4 hectares were needed for the route from Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta to Dukuh Atas in Central Jakarta. The route is expected to be completed by 2014. 

"The 4-hectare area of land will be used to build a depot in Lebak Bulus. The rest of the railway network will be built under or above the streets," he said. 

The city administration has allocated Rp 40 billion from this year's budget to buy land for the depot and to construct the depot. 

Some 3.4 kilometers of the 14.3-kilometer-long Lebak Bulus-Dukuh Atas route will be underground, with the rest elevated. 

"The MRT will go underground from Dukuh Atas to Jl. Majapahit in Central Jakarta, because the area is classified as Ring 1 (top security priority), where there should be no obstacles above the ground. The MRT will resurface again at Kampung Bandan," he said. 

He said the city administration would perform sub-surface scans to ensure utility networks were not damaged by construction, and that the stations would be built between 8 and 12 meters below the streets -- well below utility pipelines. 

"As for the elevated structures, the transportation ministry has also made a study about the construction process, including on how to avoid congestion during the construction period," he said. 

The north-south route will link Kota in West Jakarta and Lebak Bulus. Construction on the route, which is expected to be completed by 2018, will be divided into two phases. 

"The MRT route can help bring life back to the (neglected) Old Town area," he said. 

The administration also plans to utilize pylons built for the abolished monorail project to construct an MRT route linking Pulo Gebang in East Jakarta and Kebon Jeruk in West Jakarta. 

"If the east-west route is agreed, it can serve commuters from Bekasi and Tangerang. If the axis is completed, we can make an encircling network," Eddi said. 

He said the MRT would have a maximum capacity of 300,000 passengers per day, with an average travel time of 5 minutes and 30 seconds. 

The company has planned to operate 17 trains, each to have six cars. 

Ahmad Harjadi, head of Jakarta's planning and development bureau, said the administration planned to integrate the MRT with other transportation networks, including the busway and the inner city train network. 

"Besides integrating the network, we also plan to integrate the ticket systems so that people can transfer from one mode of transportation to another without having to buy a new ticket," he said.

City to have more elevated roads as of next year

Mustaqim Adamrah , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Wed, 03/12/2008 11:55 AM

Governor Fauzi Bowo said Tuesday the capital would start a Rp 40 trillion (US$4.2 billion) project constructing elevated roads across all municipalities in Jakarta next year. Six toll roads are included in the project.

"We must understand that horizontal road expansion is no longer a favorable solution in easing traffic jams," he said at City Hall.

"Therefore, we have no other choice except to build more elevated roads."

He said elevated toll roads were also part of a plan to generate revenue for the city.

"We could use more revenue from toll roads to fund the development of other roads, as well as the development of an MRT, the monorail and the busway," said Fauzi.

The MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) is a rail system Jakarta has been planning since 1984. Plans to begin construction this year have again been delayed until 2010.

He said, however, more research was required to measure the impacts of the construction, such as congestion.

"Both the central government and the city administration agree road expansion on ground level will not solve transportation issues in the city," he said.

"But we can think of another way to solve traffic problems. We have to carefully decide the locations of the toll road exits and entrances in the design."

Wrong locations of toll road exits and entrances, Fauzi said, would create worse traffic jams.

He also said the money needed to fund the elevated roads project would come from the administration, the capital market, the money market and loan syndicates.

Fauzi said the city would start the toll road construction in North Jakarta because MRT construction was planned for the same time in the south.

The Rp 8.3 trillion ($913 million) MRT project will stretch 14.3 kilometers from Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta, to Dukuh Atas, Central Jakarta and is expected to be finished in 2014.

In addition, Fauzi said the design would also calculate increased air pollution resulting from road expansions that consequently encourage more people to use vehicles.

The six planned toll roads

1. Rawa Buaya, West Jakarta - Sunter, North Jakarta 18.6 km
2. Kemayoran, Central Jakarta - Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta 9.7 km
3. Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta - Casablanca, South Jakarta 9 km
4. Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta - Tomang, West Jakarta 12 km
5. Sunter, North Jakarta - Pulo Gebang, East Jakarta 12.5 km
6. Ulujami, South Jakarta - Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta 8.6 km

New busway lanes to open in 2008

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA: Three more busway corridors will operate in 2008, says the head of the transportation agency.

"The construction of corridors eight, nine and 10 will continue as planned and I hope they start operating in January 2008," the head of the city's transportation agency, Nurachman, said Wednesday at City Hall.

"We have prepared Rp 180 billion (US$19.7 million) for the project," he said, adding that there would be 60 stations along the three corridors.

Corridor eight will connect Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta, to Harmoni, Central Jakarta, corridor nine will connect Pinang Ranti, East Jakarta and Pluit, North Jakarta, and corridor ten will link Cililitan, East Jakarta, and Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta.

The City Council had previously rejected the construction of corridor eight due to the vehicle density in that area.

Head of the City Council Ade Surapriyatna said Governor Sutiyoso had asked the council to continue with the project this year because a delay would hamper the busway network.

"But with one condition, the transportation agency should find an alternative route during the construction period so the traffic will not be disrupted," he said.

President has approved Jakarta monorail project: governor

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has signed a decree approving the construction of a monorail system in Jakarta, meaning that work on the stalled project can be resumed and completed as scheduled by the Jakarta city administration, Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso said.

"I have information that the president has signed a decree approving the monorail project. It means the finance minister will no longer hesitate to issue a comfort letter as requested by the project`s financier, the Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB)," the governor said after a meeting with the House of Representatives (DPR)`s Commission IV at City Hall here Monday.

Sutiyoso said he hoped the Jakarta Legislative Council (DPRD) would not delay issuing a needed letter on implementation of the long-awaited project.

But he said he did not know the precise content of the presidential decree.

Meanwhile, Jakarta city administration secretary Ritola Tasmaya said the DIB had requested the comfort letter so that it could issue a loan for the project.

Other requirements besides the comfort letter for DIB were a finance minister`s decree, a finance minister`s regulation, a Jakarta Legislative Council letter and an agreement between the Jakarta city administration and PT Jakarta Monorail consortium which was carrying out the project.

Ritola said the documents would be sent to DIB not later than December.

Before the DIB loan was received, work on the project would be financed with a bridging fund from Malaysia.

DIB had previously asked the Jakarta city administration to provide a project risk guarantee of US$500 million.

The Jakarta monorail targets to carry 160,000 people a day.

The Jakarta Monorail Consortium, however, had asked the central government and the Jakarta city administration a warranty of $22.5 million per year over a five-year period to cover losses in case the monorail cannot reach the target.

The Jakarta monorail will consist of a 13.5-km Blue Line linking Kampung Melayu in East Jakarta and Roxy in West Jakarta, and a circular 14.3-km Green Line passing through the Rasuna Said. Gatot Subroto avenues, the Sudirman Central Business District, the Senayan and Pejompongan areas.

The Jakarta Monorail company said the Green Line would be completed for trial by late 2007 and the Blue Line by mid-2008.

RI, Japan agree on yen loan amounting to US$16.151 million

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia and Japan reached agreement on a 1.869 billion yen or around US$16.141 million to Indonesia for funding a survey and program planning of the Jakarta Mass Rapid Transport(MRT) system.

Information on the agreement from the Indonesian embassy in Japan, said the exchange of documents of the agreement took place between Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda and his Japanese counterpart Taro Aso in Tokyo on Tuesday.

A Mass Rapid Transport system is badly needed in metropolitan Jakarta to overcome traffic jams which had been posing a serious problem especially during morning and afternoon rush hours as the result of inadequate road infrastructure and excessive dependence on road transporation.

The information also said that the Jakarta MRT project was designed to improve the capacity of passenger movements in Metropolitan Jakarta by the construction of a 14.5 km railway track, partly underground, between Lebak Bulus and Dukuh Atas, at a cost estimated at 110 billion yen.

The yen loan was actually a special term for economic partnership with an interest rate of 0.40 percent per year, and payable in 40 years including a grace period of 10 years, and the procurement of goods and services.

The Japanese government hoped that the loan would give a greater contribution to the improvement of the functions of Jakarta city and the restoration of a conducive investment climate in the capital city, in addition to stabilizing international environment in Japan and strenghthening the relations between the two countries through building a stable Indonesia.

The agreement brought Indonesia`s debts in the yen to 4,42 trillion.

Earlier, Transportation Minister Hatta Rajasa said in the Indonesia Infrastructure Summit that the the central government through the state budget provided around 15 percent, or US$120 million, in counterpart fund for the MRT project.

The construction of the MRT project will be shared by Japan and Indonesia each with 30 percent, and the remaining 40 percent will be decided through an international tender.

RI absorbs only 53 pct of its loan commitment: minister

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - State Minister for National Develoment Planning/Head of the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) Paskah Suzetta said Indonesia had absorbed only about 52 percent of the current US$15 billion foreign loan commitment.

"The foreign loan commitment amounts to about 15 billion US dollars of which only about 52 percent had been disbursed," the minister said here on Thursday.

He said that most of the foreign loans could not yet be disbursed because of obstacles in preparing land for infrastructure projects.

"All are program and project loans. The largest portion of the loans are for the development of instructure projects," he explained.

He said that his office was evaluating Indonesia`s program and project loans in order to make a final decision on which of the programs or projects had to be continued or stopped.

"I cannot reveal how much of the loans will be used and how much will be returned. We will look at the various aspects, including the project`s readiness and the terms and conditions," Paskah said.

Touching on the platform of Indonesia`s debts at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) which reached one billion US dollars a year but for this year still accounted for 400 million US dollars only, Paskah said that the withdrawal of the loans were based on an evaluation of the Indonesian government.

"They set aside a platform at US$1 billion but we are stuck to the evaluation on our readiness to utilize it in the form of program or project loans," the minister added.

On the occasion, the minister also explained the agenda he would take to Japan when he joins President Yudhoyono`s visit to Tokyo later this month.

He said that there was a possibility that a loan agreement for the construction of a mass rapid transport (MRT) project would be signed.

"Initially there was a delay in the MRT project but following negotiations with Japan, we finally reached agreement on the terms and conditions concerning the use of local contents in the project," the minister said.

He said that Indonesia and Japan had agreed that local contents reached 30 percent, local contents from Japan 30 percent and the remaining 40 percent to be put on an open international tender.

MRT Cooperation to be Signed End of November

Wednesday, 01 November, 2006 | 17:17 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The Indonesian and Japanese governments will sign a cooperation agreement for the Jakarta mass rapid transportation (MRT) project by the end of November.

The Japanese government is offering a loan of US$800 million, or around Rp7.2 trillion, with 30 percent project components from Japan, 30 percent from Indonesia and 40 percent to be on an open tender.

According to Transportation Minister Hatta Rajasa, the cooperation will be signed by the finance ministers of both countries.

In the preliminary stage, the government offers funding for detail engineering design (DED) amounting to US$16.5 million to Japan in order to find out the exact value of Jakarta MRT project.

The agreement for the whole MRT funding will be carried out after the value is determined by the DED.

It is estimated that this stage will take a year after the cooperation agreement is signed.

Then the value of the project which will have been concluded will be agreed upon.

The next stage is construction tender.

It is expected that the construction can begin at the end of 2008.

Anton Aprianto