Construction of Jakarta MRT to start in 2010
Mustaqim Adamrah
/ Indonesia Media
 The central government and the city administration will start work in 2010 on an ambitious project to develop a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system for Jakarta, the Transportation Ministry said Monday.
Unveiling the time schedule for the project Monday, Transportation Ministry secretary general Wendy Aritenang, the chairman of the MRT steering committee, said construction was expected to complete by the end of 2014.
 The MRT development, which is projected to swallow more than Rp 8.3 trillion ($902 million) in investment, will stretch 14.3 kilometers from Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta to Dukuh Atas in Central Jakarta.
The project would use soft loans from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation.
"This project will eventually integrate with other transportation modes, such as Jakarta's busway, monorail and waterway (taxi)," said steering committee vice chairman Fauzi Bowo, the incumbent Jakarta Deputy Governor and winner of the recent city gubernatorial election.
"Moreover, the project will automatically place Jakarta alongside modern cities such as Hong Kong, New Delhi, Bangkok, Seoul, Tokyo and Singapore."
The administration is also planning a US$480 million monorail project, the financing for which is still being negotiated with a local banking consortium. The monorail project is expected to be complete by 2010.
The administration also plans to build three new busway corridors by the end of this year, adding to the existing seven corridors, and reaching toward the planned total of 15.
Prospects have looked less bright for the waterway system, with low water levels caused by drought and solid waste forcing the administration to suspend water taxi services.
The administration allocated Rp 35 billion in the city budget this year to buy land affected by the transportation projects, Fauzi said.
 According to Soemino Eko Saputro, the director general for railway transportation at the ministry, the government would pay 42 percent of the loans provided by the Japanese bank, while the administration would cover the remainder. The loan will carry a 0.2 percent interest rate per annum, a 10 year grace period and a 30-year period until maturity.
"The projected amount of Rp 8.3 trillion is based on a preliminary evaluation conducted by an advisory team consisting of experts from Japan and Indonesia," Soemino said.
"The Japanese bank will provide soft loans based on the actual amount to be concluded after PT Mass Rapid Transportation Corporation finishes its detailed design."
Fauzi said the MRT steering committee would select 20 to 40 people by the end of the year to sit as top officials at the company to be responsible both for the project and operations, PT Mass Rapid.
The company would be required to complete a detailed design for the project by next year.
 The trains planned for use in the MRT project will travel at an average cruising speed of 26 km per hour and will be able to carry 400,000 passengers a day from Lebak Bulus to Dukuh Atas within 32 minutes.
The MRT system will have seven aboveground stations for the 11 km stretch between Lebak Bulus and Senayan, South Jakarta, and will pass as an underground subway for the remaining 3.3 km through to Dukuh Atas.
The construction phase of the project is expected to employ nearly 50,000 workers.
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