No Need to Redesign MRT Trains: Jakarta Deputy Governor
Jakarta. Jakarta Deputy Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat said on Friday (20/01) there is no need to redesign the city's Mass Rapid Transit, or MRT, trains.
Djarot, who is currently on leave ahead of the gubernatorial election next month, said he had approved the design long time ago.
"We discussed it earlier, the design was approved long ago," Djarot said after an impromptu visit, or blusukan, to West Jakarta neighborhoods.
He added that there is no need to make the MRT construction more expensive by changing the trains' design.
"If it is only about the design, we should just leave it as it is. This is only a matter of taste. It is better to avoid any additional expenses or delays," he said.
The Jakarta administration is now focused on meeting the deadline of Japanese creditors who finance the project.
In accordance with the contract, the whole construction should be complete in 2019; its first phase, which connects Lebak Bulus to Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, is expected to be ready in 2018.
Jakarta's acting governor, Sumarsono, said on Tuesday he wants the trains to be redesigned as they currently "look too much like a cricket."
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