Jakarta to Test LRT Just Three Days Before Asian Games
Jakarta. Jakarta has postponed a test run for its light rail transit system to next Wednesday, Aug. 15, just three days before the 2018 Asian Games starts in the capital city. Concerns are growing that that the LRT will not be ready for the sports event.
"We expect the Ministry of Transportation to issue a permit for its operations on Aug. 10. If it happens, we can start the test next week, on Wednesday," said Allan Tandiono, a director at Jakarta Propertindo (Jakpro), which develops the LRT project.
South Sumatra's capital Palembang, which co-hosts the Games, opened Indonesia's first light rail line last week, after two months of tests.
Jakarta LRT's first six-kilometer corridor will have six stations connecting the Velodrome Station in Pulo Gadung, East Jakarta, to Kelapa Gading Depot in North Jakarta.
"The test will start at two stations, the Velodrome and the North Boulevard [in North Jakarta]," said another Jakpro official Wilman Sijabat.
Jakarta Deputy Governor Sandiaga Uno said last week that the project must meet all safety requirements before it is opened for public use.
"My concern is that when the project is accelerated, we may end up neglecting standard operating procedures. I want to make sure it conforms to safety standards," he said.
The first corridor, which has been developed since early 2017, cost Jakpro around Rp 6.8 trillion ($471 million).
The LRT line is later going to be connected to the city's mass rapid transit system and bus network TransJakarta.
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