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MRT signs deal with PLN to power up train route
Jakarta residents’ dream of an end to chronic traffic jams took an important step Monday with the signing of an MoU between PT Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and state power company PT PLN on supplying power to the project
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Jakarta residents’ dream of an end to chronic traffic jams took an important step Monday with the signing of an MoU between PT Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and state power company PT PLN on supplying power to the project.
Purnomo Willy, general manager of PLN’s Jakarta and Tangerang branch, said the power company would construct two electricity plants along the 14.5-kilometer route linking Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta to Dukuh Atas in Central Jakarta in 2012.
For the initial phase, PLN will provide 50 megawatts of electricity to support the operation of the MRT, which is scheduled for construction starting next year and is expected to be up and running by 2016.
“We will use gas isolation technology that will enable us to build the power plants inside the stations to accelerate the electricity supply,” Purnomo said after the signing ceremony at the Jakarta Fairground in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.
PLN will use its Jamali (Jawa-Madura-Bali) networks to supply electricity to the MRT, he added.
PLN has yet to announce the electricity rate per kilowatt-hour (kWh), but Purnomo made assurances it would be lower than the rate for industries.
There are 12 stations planned for construction along the Lebak Bulus-Dukuh Atas route, comprising eight elevated stations on a 10.5-kilometer stretch of track and four underground stations along a 4-kilometer stretch.
The route will start at Lebak Bulus and pass through Jl. Fatmawati, Jl. Cipete Raya, Jl. Haji Nawi, Blok A, Blok M, Jl. Sisingamangaraja and Senayan. It will then head underground and stop at stations in Bung Karno Indoor Stadium, Bendungan Hilir and Setiabudi, before ending up at Dukuh Atas.
The MRT is expected to be able to carry up to 340,000 passengers a day and take 28 minutes to travel from Lebak Bulus to Dukuh Atas, with an estimated headway of 4.5 minutes at each stop.
The MRT will also link up with other transportation services, including the Transjakarta buses.
The proposed transportation mode is expected to reduce commuters’ travel time, as well as improve the city’s air quality and revive its economy.
Governor Fauzi Bowo said the construction of the MRT would herald a major change in the city’s spatial planning, because of the advent of the underground network.
“People will be able to use the MRT or walk in the tunnels to go between nearby places on Jl. Sudirman, for instance,” he said.
“We will also build underground bicycle lanes that will be integrated with elevated lanes.”
He claimed the MRT would be able to reduce traffic jams along the corridor by more than 10 percent.
