Jakarta Resumes Contruction Of Monorail Project

News Focus - JAKARTA RESUMES CONSTRUCTION OF MONORAIL PROJECT By Andi Abdussalam Jakarta, Oct 17 (Antara) - After five years of inactivity, the 30-kilometre Jakarta monorail project has resumed construction following its launch by Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, on Wednesday. The US$1.5 billion monorail project, which is expected to ease Jakarta`s heavy traffic jams, came to a grinding halt five years ago due to financial problems, though monorail pillars had already been installed in several sections across the city. "With thanks to God, today, we will resume construction on the project. There will be no pillars lying around idle and unused," Jokowi said while inaugurating the groundbreaking ceremony in the Kuningan area of South Jakarta on Wednesday. "The 30-kilometre-long track comprises the 14.5-kilometre Green Lane (Kuningan, Dukuh Atas, Pejompongan, Senayan, Gatot Subroto, SCBD) and the 15.5-kilometre Blue Lane (Kampung Malayu, Tebet, Casablanca, Tanang Abang, Mall Taman Aggrek Mall)," PT Jakarta Monorail (JM) Technical Director Bovananto explained. JM CEO Edward Soeryadjaya noted that the construction of this monorail is expected to cost US$1.5 billion, of which US$900 million will go towards the construction of the track and carriages and US$600 million will go toward the construction of stations. "There will be a total of 14 stations and 200 monorail carriages, which will be divided between the blue line and the green line. Each monorail train will have six to eight wagons," Edward said here on Wednesday. JM is collaborating with China Communications Construction Company Ltd. (CCCC) in the construction of the monorail system as well as its stations and an assembly plant. On Oct. 10, the Jakarta governor flagged off the start of construction of a Mass Rapid Transit System (MRT). Jakarta Governor Widodo stated he was confident that the project, which is now owned by JM, will be completed by the end of 2016 if work continues unimpeded throughout the day and night. "The project owner, a private company, claims the funds and documentation are readily available," he remarked. Edward Soeryadjaya confirmed construction would start along the 14.5-kilometre green line between Kuningan and Palmerah. According to JM Technical Director Bovananto, the foundation for a pair of columns will be laid in Jalan Setiabudi Utara. "After that, new poles will be installed using bored piles. The old and new pillars will be tested simultaneously for resilience," he explained. The old and new poles have different thresholds of resilience, and therefore, their strength must be tested. Several new pillars will be required for the project, Bovananto said, adding that a pole will be planted every 24 meters along the green line. "We expect the construction of the green line to finish in three years," he noted. Physical work will take place at night to avoid increasing traffic congestion in the area," he stated. "We have already coordinated with the city`s transportation service to allow for rerouting in case of a heavy traffic jam," he remarked. He confirmed that all preparations for resuming construction had been made, so his company was able to start work immediately. He pointed out that 90 percent of JM`s new consortium were new investors and 10 percent were old ones. "The new investors in the consortium are national private companies. Thirty percent of the project`s financing will be borne by the consortium, and the remaining 70 percent will be handled by the banking sector," Bovananto stated. Edward, meanwhile, acknowledged that the project was aimed at providing an alternative for Jakarta citizens to avoid being trapped in traffic jams. Jakarta Governor Jokowi expressed hope during the groundbreaking ceremony that people would switch to mass transportation systems instead of using private vehicles. Therefore, he hoped that the monorail tickets would be cheap. "If the monorail fare is expensive, then it is certain that not many people will be interested in using it; it should be cheap," said Jokowi. According to Bovananto, the train tickets will be priced at Rp9,000 each. "The ticket price was set after taking into account the average commuter`s financial capacity, including expenses for feeder buses and other modes of transport," he added. Jokowi remarked that while he was not in a position to specify a range for the monorail`s ticket fare, it certainly had to be cheaper than using a private vehicle. "Ticket prices should be cheaper than (the cost of using) a private vehicle to ensure that people switch to public transportation systems," he explained. Despite these efforts, it all comes down to market practices because the city government only executes programs to reduce congestion in the capital. To solve traffic woes in Jakarta, the regional government has already introduced the TransJakarta Busway system and has begun construction on the 16-kilometre-long MRT. On Thursday last week, Jokowi also inaugurated the groundbreaking ceremony of the MRT project in Jakarta. The MRT line stretches from Lebak Bulus in the south to the Hotel Indonesia roundabout in Central Jakarta and is expected to be completed by the end of 2018. "For 24 years, residents of Jakarta have dreamt of having an MRT. During this period, some have perhaps lost hope because the project never came to fruition. Thank God, today, the groundbreaking ceremony could be completed, and it is hoped the project will be finished in 2018," the governor said. During the monorail groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday, Jokowi had remarked that the MRT, monorail, TransJakarta, Kopaja MetroMini, and the commuter line train (KRL) will all be integrated to serve those using public transportation. "Once the monorail and the MRT start functioning, additional buses, the TransJakarta buses, the MRT, the monorail, TransJakarta, Kopaja, MetroMini, and KRL will all be integrated," he stated.