T

he Jakarta administration says the construction on the city’s first Mass Rapid Transportation (MRT) system will commence in September next year.

Governor Fauzi Bowo said Monday that the city had just completed the pre-qualification selection process for the project bids last week.

“We will now continue with the tender auction for the project. We expect that construction contracts will be signed in September,” the governor told reporters at City Hall in Central Jakarta.

The MRT project is estimated to cost a total of Rp 15.5 trillion (US$1.7 billion), which will primarily be co-vered by a ¥120 billion ($1.46 billion) soft loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Fauzi said pending the tender auction process, the city would continue completing other preparations for the project, including a tender auction for the MRT’s mechanical and electrical system, and rolling stock.

“Ground breaking for the project will begin in April,” he said.

PT MRT Jakarta president director Tribudi Rahardjo had previously said that the ground breaking would begin in March and would include widening the road on Jl. Fatmawati in South Jakarta, through which the MRT would pass, and the relocation of utility networks (phone lines, electricity cables, water pipes, sewers and fiber-optic lines) affected by the construction.

Separately, Sutanto Soehodho, the governor’s deputy for transportation, said the ground breaking was expected to help expedite the construction work.

“Construction should start as soon as the tender auction winners are announced in September. Work should then begin in October at the latest,” Sutanto said.

The first phase of the project — which comprises of an MRT central station, a depot and a line running from Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta — is predicted to be completed by Nov. 2016.

When it first begins operating, the MRT is expected to have a passenger capacity of 212,000 people per day, which will eventually be increased to 960,000 per day.

The second phase of the MRT project will see a second 8.1 kilometer MRT line running between the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle and Kampung Bandan in North Jakarta by 2018.

Sutanto said the city had just completed the environmental impact analysis (Amdal) for the second phase.

“We are currently designing the Land Acquisition and Resettlement Action Plan for the second phase. The plan is expected to be completed by December next year,” he said.

The third phase of the MRT project, if approved, will link Balaraja in Tangerang with Cikarang in Bekasi with an estimated 87.3 km line which will pass through Jakarta’s downtown area.

Sutanto said the third phase was still undergoing a feasibility study by JICA. “The third phase involves construction in three provinces… it will surely be more complicated,” he said.