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lmost 80 idle columns with rusted protruding iron rods stand prominently on the Kuningan thoroughfare in South Jakarta, a grim reminder of Jakarta’s forgotten dream of enjoying an effective mass transportation system.

The outcome of the dream is now manifested by the unfinished pillars whose only utility has been to provide advertising space for flyers and banners.

But this might soon change because the central government has decided to resuscitate the shattered dream.

Earlier this week, the central government renewed its commitment to help the city administration revive the long abandoned monorail project, which was dropped three years ago due to legal and financial woes.

Under the commitment, the central government will also contribute to the investment requirements.

Even though it is not clear how the plan will work, developer PT Jakarta Monorail responded positively.

“We hope everything will work this time,” Jakarta Monorail director Sukmawati Syukur said.

“Maybe it is better if the central government takes over the project because it takes ages for the city administration to make a move,” Sukmawati added.

Jakarta Monorail had been trusted by the city administration to run the project since 2005 after the city failed to form partnerships with a number of potential investors. Eventually the company encountered financial difficulties that led to a halt in construction in August 2007.

The city administration tried to help by taking over the project but bureaucracy and budgeting problem hindered their intentions.

The construction of pillars in a 14.3-kilometer green line stretching from Kuningan to Pejompongan in Central Jakarta is 60 percent complete, while work on the blue line that would run from Kampung Melayu in East Jakarta to Roxy, West Jakarta, has not yet started, she said.

“Therefore, the total project is only 20 percent done,” Sukmawati said, adding that the company had only spent Rp 600 billion (US$66.6 million) from the total budget of Rp 2.2 trillion.

She also added that the company would need two years to complete the green line and three years to complete the blue line, meaning that they would be far behind the operational target initially scheduled for 2010.

In the end, Sukmawati doesn’t mind if the central government wants to take over the project. “Just don’t let the investment go to waste,” she said.

The central government’s decision to finally step into the project reflects a change in the state’s appraisal of the importance of managing traffic in the capital, transportation analyst Darmaningtyas said.

“They finally realize transportation in Jakarta is a serious issue that needs to be addressed,” he said.

The chronic congestion in the city has been blamed for high business costs that have deterred some investors from considering Indonesian options. Traffic congestion in Jakarta is estimated to collectively cost motorists Rp 12.8 trillion in a year.

Darmaningtyas also warns the government that solving traffic problems in the capital is not an easy or cheap matter. “The government must be ready to spend, a lot,” he said, predicting that the initial budget may swell due to rising raw material prices.