Jakarta to Extend 2nd Phase of MRT to Ancol, Cost to Swell to $2.8b
Jakarta. The Jakarta administration has decided to extend the route of the second phase of the city's mass rapid transit system by 4.1 kilometers to East Ancol in North Jakarta after it failed to secure space for a train depot at the final stop under the previous plan.
The new plan would see the MRT track lengthened to 14.6 kilometers, stretching from the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta to the Ancol park complex, Tuty Kusumawati, head of the Jakarta Regional Development Agency (Bappeda) said on Friday (03/03).
The new plan would increase the cost of phase two of the project by 65 percent to Rp 38 trillion ($2.8 billion), Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama said.
Under the previous plan, the railway line would have stopped at Kampung Bandan in North Jakarta, where state-run railway operator Kereta Api Indonesia has a station and depot. But the company has leased out the depot for another party, Tuty said.
The new plan would see the depot being established on land in the Ancol recreational park, which is managed by Pembangunan Jaya Ancol, a public company controlled by the city government, Tuty said.
The company and MRT Jakarta, another city-owned enterprise responsible for the development of the transit system, signed a memorandum of understanding on Friday for the use of the land in Ancol.
With the land for the depot secured, Tuty said the government could initiate the construction by next year, one year ahead of the initial plan, pending approval from legislators, the creditor and the central government.
"This is in line with an earlier directive from the president [Joko Widodo], who wants to accelerate the MRT project," Tuty said.
However, the Jakarta administration must secure approval from the Regional Representative Council (DPRD) and the Ministry of Home Affairs. After that, the government must submit the new plan to the Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA), which provides the loan.
The first phase of the MRT, stretching over 16 kilometers from Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, has been under construction since 2013.
The government expect that when it becomes operational by 2019, it will be able to transport up to 173,400 passengers daily on 16 trains. The trains are designed to cover the distance in 30 minutes, five minutes apart. This will significantly cut travel times, which can currently take up to two hours by car during rush-hour traffic.
Construction of the 87-kilometer third phase from Cikarang east of Jakarta to Balaraja in the west, is scheduled to start in 2020. It is expected to be completed between 2024 and 2027.
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