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.            Jokowi said the construction of the green line and the blue lines  as well as the building of the eastern and western sections would not collide because they would be developed in different phases.          "It is most likely that the  green  and  blue lines will be done first by  PT Jakarta Monorel. After that we will connect them with one and another," the governor added.          Jokowi said that his side had also coordinated with the ministry of transportation with regard to the plan to construct the monorail and MRT transportation systems in the city.          "We met almost every week with the transportation ministry officials to discuss the two mass transportation systems. We hope, after the construction is finished, people would leave their private vehicles and turn to mass transportation systems," said Jokowi.      In the meantime, State-owned Enterprise (SOE) Minister Dahlan Iskan said he was planning to develop three monorail projects in Indonesia.          "The three monorail projects will be built in Jakarta and East Java. One will be built inside the capital city while the other two will be on the route to Jakarta's Soekarno Hattar Airport. The third one is a container monorail project at Tanjung Perak port of Surabaya (East Java)," Minister Dahlan said on Monday.          He said that in Jakarta, monorail projects would also be built on the Cibubur-Cawang (East Java), East Bekasi (West Java) - Cawang and Cawang - Kuningan (Central Jakarta) routes.          The size of the monorail project that would be built inside the city will be two times bigger than that in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. "The size is big because it will serve a large number of passengers," the minister said.          The size of monorail that would be built for the Soekarno-Hatta airport is smaller than that inside the city but bigger than the Monorail at Changi airport of Singapore. A monorail station will also be developed around the Soekarto-Hatta airport.          The minister hoped that the contract of the monorail project for Soekarno-Hatta airport would be signed soon between airport operator firm Angkasa Pura II and a state-owned company consortium (ADHI-INKA - LEN).          "We hope that the monorail project is expected to start operation 18 months after the signing of the agreement," Minister Dahlan said.          The Tanjung Perak monorail project in East Java meanwhile is a   container monorail project.         "So, this is not for human passengers but for cargoes. It is like moving containers on monorail," the minister said.          He said that with monorail, Tanjung Perak would become the first seaport in Indonesia to have a monorail facility.          Last February, it was reported that a consortium of five state-owned enterprises led by construction firm PT Adhi Karya was 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 (Central 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 last February.           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 would form 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 last February.      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.***3***