J

akarta will be losing another of its landmarks as the city government announced that Lebak Bulus Stadium was slated for demolition in order to make way for the new Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project.

Jakarta Spatial Planning Agency head Wiriatmoko said the demolition would begin later this year, paving the way for the construction of the city’s central MRT station.

“We will demolish the stadium this year because we need to build facilities for the MRT on the land,” Wiriatmoko said Wednesday.

The city government decided to tear down Lebak Bulus Stadium after a change in the initial design for the MRT, which now covers one square hectare from the previous 7,000 square meters.

The expansion will not only affect the stadium but the adjacent Lebak Bulus bus station, which will be converted into the main MRT station.

Work on the first phase of the 15.5-kilometer MRT project linking Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta and the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta is expected to begin this year and be completed by 2016.

The administration plans to build six underground stations for the MRT and seven above-ground stations.

The MRT will operate above-ground for 10.5 kilometers of the 15.5 kilometer total.

The six underground stations will be located at the Al-Azhar Mosque, Istora Senayan, Bendungan Hilir, Setiabudi, Dukuh Atas and the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle.

The seven above-ground stations will be in Lebak Bulus, Fatmawati, Cipete Raya, Jl. H. Nawi, Blok A, Blok M and Jl. Sisingamangaraja.

The city also plans to open a second 8.1 kilometer-long MRT line between the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle and Kampung Bandan in North Jakarta in 2018.

The budget for the MRT is expected to reach Rp 15 trillion (US$ 1.6 billion).

The 12,500-capacity Lebak Bulus Stadium, which can host between 15,000 and 25,000 people, is one of the few stadiums in the country that meets international standards, other than Bung Karno Stadium in Senayan, Central Jakarta.

Lebak Bulus hosted the AFC U-17 Championship Qualification Group F Matches in 2008.

The stadium is also a multi-purpose venue and has hosted some of the country’s legendary rock concerts, including a gig by American metal band Metallica in 1993. The show ended with angry fans rioting throughout the capital, a major conflagration of the 1990s prior to the demise of the New Order.

The city administration has vowed to build a new stadium in place of Lebak Bulus.

The Jakarta Sports Agency is currently looking for a site for the new stadium.

Jakarta Sports Agency head Ratiyono said they would need at least 4.5 square hectares of land for a new stadium, approximately the same amount of space as Lebak Bulus currently takes up.

The agency is now zeroing in on a plot of land on Jl. T.B. Simatupang in South Jakarta.

“We are looking for a location away from the local neighborhood,” Ratiyono said.

The agency also plans for the new stadium to have a swimming pool and other recreational facilities.