T

he Jakarta Transportation Council (DTKJ) has proposed introducing a Light Rail Transit (LRT) system to make up for the weaknesses of the city’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).

DTKJ transportation expert Iskandar Abubakar said an LRT could carry more passengers than Transjakarta buses. “The total capacity of an LRT is 80,000 passengers per hour, while for Transjakarta buses it is only 25,000 people per hour and for a monorail it is only 40,000,” he said at a discussion on Wednesday.

In addition, he said, as an LRT used rail tracks in lanes, it would be impossible for cars, motorcycles or public buses to take over its space.

“The lanes of Transjakarta are often used by vehicles, but that wouldn’t be the case with an LRT. This would definitely cut travel times, and passengers wouldn’t have to wait too long anymore,” Iskandar said.

Private cars, motorcycles and public buses often use Transjakarta lanes, thus disrupting the headway.

Iskandar suggested it would be wise to try the LRT system in some of Transjakarta’s corridors that were not being used.

“But we first need further study on this with the city administration. We will suggest it to the new governor,” he said.

A similar mode of public transportation, streetcars, were introduced in the city in 1869. They were initially pulled by horses and developed into steam-fueled streetcars in 1881 before being made electric in 1933.

Streetcars used to operate along four routes, passing through Jatinegara, Harmoni, Pasar Baru and Tanah Abang. In the 1960s, former president Sukarno closed the service, saying that streetcars were not suitable for a city like Jakarta. Buses managed by state-owned bus company PPD replaced the streetcars.

Most of the rail tracks have since been covered by asphalt.

Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) transportation expert Harun Alrasyid Lubis said that before introducing an LRT system, there should a comprehensive study on it in Jakarta given the city’s limited space.

“If the administration wants to use an LRT, there should be studies on the tracks it would use, either building new lanes or using the existing tracks of Transjakarta,” he said.

For new tracks, Harun said, the LRT could be used as a feeder to support other modes of public transportation, such as electric trains, adding that Transjakarta corridors 2, 3, 5, and 7 could be used as the lanes.

The Transportation Ministry’s railway planning division chief, Heru Wahyu Wibowo, said there should also be studies on demand and service allocation for all public transportation modes.

“There must be specific patterns on which areas are served by which public transportation system so that there will not be an overlap and waste,” he said.

Separately, Transjakarta Management Authority chief Muhammad Akbar said the office planned to revert to using diesel in its 158 new buses in order to improve the service.

“We don’t have enough LPG fuel stations, so it disrupts services,” he said.

There are only four LPG stations to serve 477 Transjakarta buses. Each bus needs to refuel at least twice a day, whereas diesel-fueled buses need to fill up their tanks only once a day.

 “We must go with the plan if there is no improvement in gas supplies,” he said.