PHASE II OF JAKARTA'S MRT EXPECTED TO START SOON

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 21 (Antara) - The government, through National Development Planning Board (Bappenas), hopes that construction of  Phase II of Jakarta's Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project would start soon following the delay in the completion of the project's Phase I.         Bappenas Head Bambang Brodjonegoro stated in Jakarta on Sunday that Phase I of the MRT project had been scheduled for completion by the end of 2018 but it had been delayed until February 2019.         Therefore, the construction of Phase II should be started soon  because Phase II is the continuation of Phase I which both are parts of Jakarta's MRT South-North Line.          Jakarta is planning to develop two main lines of MRT which will crisscross the capital city with a total length of 117.6 kilometers (km) and are expected to help unravel Jakarta's traffic woes.          The two main lines are the South-North and the East-West lines. The construction plan of the MRT lines is carried out in three phases, notably Phase I, Phase II and Phase III.

CONSTRUCTION OF JAKARTA FIRST MRT KICKS OFF

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Oct 12 (Antara) - With construction of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system finally underway on Thursday, Jakarta's traffic woes seem to have received a breather, of sorts.          When Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, was elected Jakarta governor in September 2012, he laid out three steps to solve the city's traffic congestion.          The first was to build on a traffic culture by improving the behavior of motorists; the second was the construction of adequate mass transportation systems and the third was the implementation of policies which support his programs, including the imposition of taxes for parking and purchasing cars.          The 16 kilometer MRT project, covering the stretch from Lebak Bulus in the south to the Hotel Indonesia roundabout in Central Jakarta, is one of Jokowi's plans to improve traffic conditions 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 as the project was never realized. Thank God, today, the groundbreaking could be done, and it is hoped the project would be finished in 2018," the governor said at the groundbreaking ceremony at Dukuh Atas, Central Jakarta.          Apart from being developed as an MRT transit station, the Dukuh Atas station in Central Jakarta will also serve as a nodal point for different modes of transportation systems, including rail and water transport, said PT MRT Jakarta President Director Dono Boestami on Friday. PT MRT is carrying out the construction project.

JAKARTA MRT CONSTRUCTION PROJECT GETS GO-AHEAD

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Nov 30 (ANTARA) - After several days of talks on the fate of the Jakarta Mass Rapid Transport (MRT) system, the development of which has been in limbo since the era of Jakarta governors Sutiyoso and Fauzi Bowo, the project has finally received the green light. "I just met with the management of PT MRT Jakarta and now it is clear that construction project will positively go ahead," Jakarta governor Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said at the City Hall on Thursday night.          "However, there are several other things that still need to be explained in detail, such as the per kilometre construction cost of the project," he stated. "Regarding the construction cost per kilometre, it seems we still need to call a tender for it. I think the costs could still be reduced. But, in general, matters relating to the MRT project have become clear and are no longer burdening my mind," Jokowi added.

NEW GOVERNOR CHALLENGED TO UNRAVEL JAKARTA TRAFFIC WOES

 By Andi Abdussalam
         Jakarta, Oct 31 (ANTARA) - Traffic congestion in the country's capital city is a chronic problem, besides annual floods, which is posing a grave challenge to new Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo (Jokowi).  "We have to build a culture of traffic discipline, improve transportation means and increase strength of police staff to support efforts to overcome traffic woes in Jakarta," Jokowi said at the Jakarta City Hall on Tuesday.
         With a population of about 12 million, Jakarta experiences massive traffic jams every day. Poor public transportation causes residents to use their private cars or motorcycles and according to the Jakarta Regional Police, there are about 3.1 million private cars and 8.2 million motorcycles in the city.   The state of public transport is inadequate and approximately 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.

JAKARTA TO START MRT CONSTRUCTION NEXT YEAR

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 19 (ANTARA) - After a long process of planning and negotiations, the Jakarta government finally  hopes to be able to start constructing a mass rapid transport (MRT) system next year after a Japanese financial aid agency made a commitment to support the project.          Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo said last week that the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) had issued a No Objection Letter (NOL) on the plan to construct the MRT, and a prequalification tender has also been held to follow up on JICA's  NOL.          The 600 billion yen project will begin to be implemented next year after the Japanese government, at a meeting last September, 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.          The Japanese commitment was announced last September 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 two to three trillion 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.         "We call it a fast track project because it is given first priority and expected to be completed before the end of 2014," Hatta Rajasa said meanwhile.         According to the Jakarta governor,  the NOL has been followed up with the calling of the prequalification tender whose result was announced on December 8, 2001.          A total of 10 consortium or joint operation contractors were said to have passed the prequalification tender for the construction of the first phase of Jakarta MRT project that would link Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta with  Hotel Indonesia Traffic Circle in Central Jakarta (the north-south phase).          Based on data at PT MRT, 13 consortium bidders took part in the prequalification tender. Of the 13 bidders, five were said to be qualified for next MRT elevated project tender and five others for the MRT's underground section, while the other three failed the prequalification bid.         President Director of PT MRT Jakarta Tribudi Rahardjo said that the ten consortiums were expected to follow the next tender which would be called for the physical construction of the project in January next month.         Five consortiums which passed the tender for the construction of the underground segment were Kajima-Waskita Joint Operation (JO), Obayashi-Shimizu-Jaya Konstruksi-Wijaya Karya JO, SMCC-HK JO, Taisei-PP JO and Tokyo-Adhi JO.         "The five consortiums for the elevated section of the MRT include  Hazama-Murinda Iron Steel JO, SMCC-NK JO, Sunitomo-Adhi JO, Tekken-Hutama-Marubeni JO and Tokyo-Wika JO," Tribudi said.          "The 10 consortiums have the right to take part in the tender of the MRT physical projects. They will compete to win 6 packages of the MRT physical construction," he said.          He said that the tender would be called for the six packages in accordance with negotiations with the ministry of transportation, the Jakarta government and PT MRT with a target for the MRT operation by 2016.         According to Governor Fauzi Bowo, after the tender for the physical construction, winners of the tender are expected to sign contracts in September 2012, yet work on supporting infrastructures should be started in April 2012 at the latest.         "We hope the contracts would be signed in September 2012. Pending the signing of the contracts, we urge the management of PT MRT Jakarta to start the work on the supporting infrastructure in April at the latest," the governor said.         Fauzi said that he had instructed PT MRT to carry out supporting infrastructures such as land clearance, the widening of Jalan Fatmawati, relocation of Lebak Bulus Soccer stadium, arrangement of passenger transportation at Lebak Bulus bus terminal and the relocation of a number bus shelters so that the target to operate the MRT in 2016 would be achieved.         The Jakarta governor earlier said the first MRT stage would cover the North-South (Lebak Bulus-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 is 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 be a loan. Only 0.2 pct amounting to 24.305 billion yen will be drawn from the State Budget and regional budget.          In the meantime, the feasibility study of second phase (east-west route connecting Kampung Bandan with Hotel Indonesia Traffic Circle ) of the  MRT system  has also been conducted and its results are expected to be announced at the end of December 2011, according to the governor.          Yet, the relevant institutions are still conducting further studies as the east-west route stretches across the areas of three provinces of West Java, Banten and Jakarta.         "We will cooperate with two other provinces of West Java and Banten. Feasibility studies are already completed. Now we will continue to the stage of deepening the plan," the governor said.***5*** (T.A014/A/HAJM/17:45/a014)19-12-2011 17:45:5

JAKARTA TO BUILD MRT NEXT YEAR

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 23 (ANTARA) - 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. (T.A014/A/HAJM/21:10/A/S012) 23-09-2011 22: