GOVERNOR YET TO SIGN JAKARTA MONORAIL CONTRACT

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, May 26 (Antara) - Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo is still waiting for PT Jakarta Monorail (JM) to complete the requirements before the contract to continue the Jakarta monorail project, which has been delayed for years, can be signed.         "To date, PT JM has only met some of the requirements. The regional government of Jakarta still has to check these requirements. So, the requirements that it has met so far should not be summarily approved. We have to check them first. We do not want the project to be delayed again," Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo, better known as Jokowi, said here on Monday.          PT JM is attempting to resume construction of the Jakarta monorail project, which has been delayed and become idle for years.          Initially, the Jakarta monorail project began in 2004, when state-owned PT Adhi Karya, the contractor, erected supporting pillars in some sections and PT JM acted as the executor of the project. However, the project was later halted because of the absence of contractors.         While it has erected about 90 pillars, claiming to have invested some Rp192 billion, PT Adhi Karya quit the project and PT JM agreed to take over and repay the costs spent by Adhi Karya in building the pillars in a number of sections along the elevated monorail tracks.          Jakarta Governor Jokowi wanted the project to be resumed to solve the problem of traffic woes in the capital city.

PT JM ASKED TO SOLVE CONFLICT, FINISH MONORAIL IN 2017

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Feb 26 (Antara) - Last October, Jakarta commuters welcomed the start of construction of the Jakarta monorail project, marked by the groundbreaking inauguration by Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo.          "With thank God, today, that we will resume construction on the project. There will be no more pillars lying around idle and unused," Joko Widodo, better known as Jokowi, said while inaugurating the groundbreaking ceremony in the Kuningan area, South Jakarta, on October 16, 2013.          Before the groundbreaking, the Jakarta monorail project had previously begun work five years ago but was halted later, although pillars in some sections had been erected. Since then, the pillars have been left idle for about five years.          However, the construction has again been disrupted because of difference calculations about the cost invested in building the pillars.          State-owned PT Adhi Karya already erected pillars in a number of sections of the elevated monorail tracks, when it was involved earlier in the construction of the mass transport project.

JAKARTA RESUMES CONSTRUCTION OF MONORAIL PROJECT

By Andi Abdussalam

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.

MONAS SHOWS PROTOTYPE OF JAKARTA'S FUTURE MONORAIL

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, June 23 (Antara) - Monorail is one of the mess  transportation modes that can overcome traffic woes in big cities like Jakarta where traffic congestion has become a main cause of headache for commuters.          Jakarta residents and other commuters from the capital city's satellite towns of Bogor, Tangerang, Tangerang and Bekasi (Botakbek) have since time immemorial fought traffic woes every day to reach their offices or other destinations during the rush hours.          With a population of about 12 million, Jakarta also serves commuters with poor conditions of public transportation means, forcing residents to use their own cars or motorcycles that worsened further the traffic.          Jakarta Regional Police data showed that there are about 3.1 million private cars and 8.2 million motorcycles roaming in the city every day. The public transport condition is bad where about 72.34 percent of the 22,000 buses operating in the city are already old and no longer fit for operations.          Data at the Jakarta Transportation Service showed that in 2002 about 61 percent of Jakarta's commuters still used public transport but the figure dropped to 20 percent by 2010.          As an 'antidote' to the traffic headache, Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo, or popularly known as Jokowi, is planning to develop a monorail system as a traffic jam 'solver' as part of his on-going MRT project in the city.          Now, the prototype of the monorail is on display at Monas. The prototype is expected to explain to the people the future transportation means that could overcome traffic jams. The public can visit the exhibition at Monas for free from June 22 to July 14, 2013.

GOVT DEVELOPING MONORAIL TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, May 6 (Antara) - The government, after launching the construction of a mass rapid transit (MRT) on Thursday last week, will also begin to develop a monorail system to help solve traffic jams in the capital city of Jakarta.          Last week, Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo (Jokowi) finally launched the construction of Jakarta's mass rapid transit system after its construction had been delayed for at least 24 years.          According to the governor, the construction of monorail mass transportation system would be carried out simultaneously with that of Mass Rapid Transit (MRT).          "After commencing the construction of MRT, we are now preparing for the construction of other mass transportation system, namely monorail. We will build the two systems simultaneously," Governor Joko Widodo (Jokowi), said in the City Hall here on Monday.          According to Jokowi, the development of the monorail project would be divided into two phases. The first phase covered a Green Line and a Blue Line sections. The second phase consisted of two lines in the eastern and western parts of the city.          "The two phases will be done by two different contractors. The green line and the blue line sections will be built by PT Jakarta Monorail, while the eastern and western parts will be constructed by PT Adhi Kary," the governor said.

MONORAIL EXPECTED TO ALLEVIATE JAKARTA TRAFFIC WOES

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Feb 9 (ANTARA) - Expansion of roads in Jakarta is only about 0.01 percent per annum while increase in the number of vehicles reaches 11 percent, causing the Jakarta roads unable to normally facilitate traffic flows.          Now, there are only 7,650 km of roads in Jakarta or 40.1 sq km while the number of private cars and motorcycles has reached 3.1 million and 8.2 million respectively.  These millions of vehicles pack Jakarta streets every day, causing traffic jams and drivers' frustration everywhere during the rush hours.          The operations of  busway buses on a dozen corridors have yet to give effective solutions to the traffic problems in Jakarta. Therefore, the government is planning to develop mass rapid transport (MRT) and monorail transportation systems.          The monorail project is expected to start construction soon and be operated by 2015.          "I hope the construction of the monorail system would start as soon as possible to solve Jakarta's serious traffic problem," Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo,  popularly known as 'Jokowi', said in Jakarta on Thursday.          A consortium of five state-owned enterprises led by construction firm PT Adhi Karya is proposing to build a monorail system.          The construction of the project  will be carried out in three years by a state-owned firm consortium, consisting of PT Adhi Karya, PT Jasa Marga, PT Telkom, PT Lembaga Electronika Negara (LEN) and PT Industri Kreta Api  INKA     The Jakarta monorail project that stretches  52 km from Kuningan (South Jakarta), Cawang (East Jakarta) to East Bakasi (West Java) is expected to be completed and operated by 2015.        "If the construction permit of the project is issued this month, we hope that the monorail system would be done soon and would already be operated in 2015," State-owned Enterprise (SOE) Minister Dahlan Iskan said on Thursday.           According to PT Adhi Karya which leads the consortium, the first phase of the project would cover 39-km consisting of sections that stretched from East Bakasi (West Java) to  Cawang (East Jakarta), Cibubur (East Jakarta) - Cawang and Cawang - Kuningan (South Jakarta).        Adhi Karya President Director Kiswodarmawan said that his company formed a consortium of state-owned  and regional government-owned companies to implement the project in two phases.          The first phase would start this year and finish by 2015, while the second one would begin in 2015.          "The first phase is estimated to cost Rp12 to Rp13 trillion," he noted      "We also plan to invest in this project, so the Jakarta administration does not need to think about its funding," Kiswodarmawan said adding that an estimated Rp8 trillion was needed to fund the project.          The consortium will bankroll 30 percent of the project, while the remaining 70 percent will be financed through loans.          Minister Dahlan Iskan said that the project lines passed through Jakarta and West Java areas. Therefore, its construction must be discussed with Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo, West Java Governor Ahmad Heriyawan and the central government.        "There are two choices with regard to the construction permit of the project, namely whether it would be issued in coordination with the Jakarta Governor and the West Java governor or it would be issued by the central government. If the monorail system is designed as a central government project, it will need a presidential regulation only," the minister said.       So, he said, whether the construction of the first phase (Kuningan-Cawang-East Bakasi monorail system) would start soon or not depended on how fast the project obtained a permit.      "I personally want it to be started soon so that the problem of traffic jams in Jakarta would also be overcome soon," the minister said.          Dahlan said that the Kuningan, Cawang and East Bakasi monorail sections would need an investment of Rp9 trillion. The financing of the project would come from the consortium members.        State-owned firms involved in the consortium consisted of construction firm Adhi Karya, toll operator PT Jasa Marga,  electronic firm PT Lembaga Electronika Negara (LEN), the largest telecommunications company in Indonesia PT Telkom and  train manufacturer PT Industry Kreta Api (Inka)      He did not however gave details on the financing portion each of the consortium members would bear.          PT Adhi Karya President Director Kiswodarmawan said his side would start the project after he got a permit from the central and regional governments.       "We hope that this month the decision on the construction of the project would have already been made. The sooner the permit is issued the better so that the project would be started soon," he said.          In the meantime, to help alleviate the problem of Jakarta traffic gridlock, Jakarta Governor Widodo hoped that the Jakarta monorail project would be integrated into other modes of transportation.          "The construction of the monorail project must be integrated into the Jabodetabek transportation system Master Plan," Jokowi, said.  Jabodetabek areas cover Jakarta and  its satellite towns of Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi.        The Jakarta governor said that the presence of a monorail transportation system was badly needed in the face of increasing traffic jams because Jakarta residents now still lacked modes of mass transpiration systems.        Deputy Transportation Minister Bambang Susantono also expressed the urgency of developing monorail as part of the efforts to solve the traffic jams in Jakarta. "We should give attention to integration with other modes in the construction of monorail," he said.        Bambang and Jokowi gave full support to the plan construction of the monorail project which would be done by  Adhi Karya and other consortium members.***3*** (check-editing by yoseph hariyadi) (T.A014/H-YH) (T.A. Abdussalam/A/A. Abdussalam/A/Yosep) 09-02-2013