Jakarta, Oct 17 (Antara) - After five years of inactivity, the
30-kilometre Jakarta monorail project has resumed construction following
its launch by Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi,
on Wednesday.
The US$1.5 billion monorail project, which is expected to ease
Jakarta's heavy traffic jams, came to a grinding halt five years ago due
to financial problems, though monorail pillars had already been
installed in several sections across the city.
"With thanks to God, today, we will resume construction on the project.
There will be no pillars lying around idle and unused," Jokowi said
while inaugurating the groundbreaking ceremony in the Kuningan area of
South Jakarta on Wednesday.
"The
30-kilometre-long track comprises the 14.5-kilometre Green Lane
(Kuningan, Dukuh Atas, Pejompongan, Senayan, Gatot Subroto, SCBD) and
the 15.5-kilometre Blue Lane (Kampung Malayu, Tebet, Casablanca, Tanang
Abang, Mall Taman Aggrek Mall)," PT Jakarta Monorail (JM) Technical
Director Bovananto explained.
JM
CEO Edward Soeryadjaya noted that the construction of this monorail is
expected to cost US$1.5 billion, of which US$900 million will go towards
the construction of the track and carriages and US$600 million will go
toward the construction of stations.
"There will be a total of 14 stations and 200 monorail carriages, which
will be divided between the blue line and the green line. Each monorail
train will have six to eight wagons," Edward said here on Wednesday.
JM
is collaborating with China Communications Construction Company Ltd.
(CCCC) in the construction of the monorail system as well as its
stations and an assembly plant.
On Oct. 10, the Jakarta governor flagged off the start of construction of a Mass Rapid Transit System (MRT).
Jakarta
Governor Widodo stated he was confident that the project, which is now
owned by JM, will be completed by the end of 2016 if work continues
unimpeded throughout the day and night.
"The project owner, a private company, claims the funds and documentation are readily available," he remarked.
Edward
Soeryadjaya confirmed construction would start along the 14.5-kilometre
green line between Kuningan and Palmerah. According to JM Technical
Director Bovananto, the foundation for a pair of columns will be laid in
Jalan Setiabudi Utara.
"After that, new poles will be installed using bored piles. The old and
new pillars will be tested simultaneously for resilience," he
explained.
The old and new poles have different thresholds of resilience, and
therefore, their strength must be tested. Several new pillars will be
required for the project, Bovananto said, adding that a pole will be
planted every 24 meters along the green line.
"We expect the construction of the green line to finish in three
years," he noted. Physical work will take place at night to avoid
increasing traffic congestion in the area," he stated.
"We have already coordinated with the city's transportation service to
allow for rerouting in case of a heavy traffic jam," he remarked.
He
confirmed that all preparations for resuming construction had been
made, so his company was able to start work immediately.
He pointed out that 90 percent of JM's new consortium were new investors and 10 percent were old ones.
"The
new investors in the consortium are national private companies. Thirty
percent of the project's financing will be borne by the consortium, and
the remaining 70 percent will be handled by the banking sector,"
Bovananto stated.
Edward,
meanwhile, acknowledged that the project was aimed at providing an
alternative for Jakarta citizens to avoid being trapped in traffic jams.
Jakarta Governor Jokowi expressed hope during the groundbreaking
ceremony that people would switch to mass transportation systems instead
of using private vehicles.
Therefore, he hoped that the monorail tickets would be cheap. "If the
monorail fare is expensive, then it is certain that not many people will
be interested in using it; it should be cheap," said Jokowi.
According
to Bovananto, the train tickets will be priced at Rp9,000 each. "The
ticket price was set after taking into account the average commuter's
financial capacity, including expenses for feeder buses and other modes
of transport," he added.
Jokowi remarked that while he was not in a position to specify a range
for the monorail's ticket fare, it certainly had to be cheaper than
using a private vehicle. "Ticket prices should be cheaper than (the cost
of using) a private vehicle to ensure that people switch to public
transportation systems," he explained.
Despite these efforts, it all comes down to market practices because
the city government only executes programs to reduce congestion in the
capital. To solve traffic woes in Jakarta, the regional government has
already introduced the TransJakarta Busway system and has begun
construction on the 16-kilometre-long MRT.
On Thursday last week, Jokowi also inaugurated the groundbreaking ceremony of the MRT project in Jakarta.
The MRT line stretches from Lebak Bulus in the south to the Hotel
Indonesia roundabout in Central Jakarta and is expected to be completed
by the end of 2018.
"For 24 years, residents of Jakarta have
dreamt of having an MRT. During this period, some have perhaps lost hope
because the project never came to fruition. Thank God, today, the
groundbreaking ceremony could be completed, and it is hoped the project
will be finished in 2018," the governor said.
During
the monorail groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday, Jokowi had remarked
that the MRT, monorail, TransJakarta, Kopaja MetroMini, and the commuter
line train (KRL) will all be integrated to serve those using public
transportation.
"Once
the monorail and the MRT start functioning, additional buses, the
TransJakarta buses, the MRT, the monorail, TransJakarta, Kopaja,
MetroMini, and KRL will all be integrated," he stated.***3***
(T.A014/INE )
EDITED BY INE
(T.A014/A/BESSR/F. Assegaf) 17-10-2013 12:4 |
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar