T

he Jakarta administration, through its ownership of PT Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Jakarta, has started the construction of the first track of its future MRT system.

With roads in Jakarta covering 6.2 percent of the capital'€™s total land area, it is not hard to imagine how overburdened these roads become when close to 10 million private vehicles compete against each other in traffic. Less than 15 percent of Jakarta'€™s residents take public transportation.

Currently, the capital'€™s most reliable means of public transportation, the Transjakarta bus rapid transit system, only has the capacity to transport an average of 370,000 passengers every day.

Along with the capital'€™s growing population and robust economic growth, the mobility of Jakarta'€™s residents will also grow rapidly and, very soon, the increased population will require and demand a much more reliable mode of mass public transportation.

The complete MRT Jakarta project will stretch over 110.8 kilometers and consist of two main lines: a north-south line and an east-west line.

The construction of the north-south line will stretch from Lebak Bulus to Kampung Bandan, and is designed to be carried out in two stages. Phase one will connect Lebak Bulus to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, with over 15.7 km of railway passing through 13 stations (seven elevated stations and six underground stations).

Meanwhile, phase two will expand the north-south Line from Hotel Indonesia to Kampung Bandan, with 8.1 km of railway.

Phase one of the north-south line is now under construction and is expected to be operational by 2018. Meanwhile, phase two of the construction is expected to start right before the completion of phase one and is targeted to be completed by 2020. The feasibility study for phase two has already been completed. Furthermore, the feasibility study for the east-west line is in progress, with construction expected to take place at the latest in 2024-2027.

Since the first MRT project broke ground in October 2013, the construction has been speedily carried out to ensure it is completed on schedule. Along Jl. Sisingamangaraja and Jl. Sudirman to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, we can now see construction fencing with MRT project signage. Contractors are busy preparing for the large-scale construction that is expected to start in April 2014.

This large-scale construction will have consequences, including a lane closure in the middle of the road at some locations including Jl. Sisingamangaraja, Ratu Plaza, Istora Senayan, Bendungan Hilir, Setiabudi and the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle.

The MRT project is an important and essential project for the government, as success in building and operating an advanced public transportation system will have positive political impact on the whole of Jakarta and, to some extent, will set a psychological benchmark for local governments.

This year, the central government is scheduled to begin the construction of an airport train, which will connect Jakarta'€™s downtown to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

The Jakarta administration'€™s success in constructing an MRT system will also boost the central government'€™s confidence to continue and complete the airport train project.

Several provincial capital cities, including East Java'€™s Surabaya, West Java'€™s Bandung, South Sulawesi'€™s Makassar and North Sumatra'€™s Medan are now considering constructing MRT systems or other types of public transportation systems to cope with their growing populations.

From a civil engineering perspective, it is important to note that, without the completion of both the north-south and east-west MRT lines, traffic reduction will not be significant.

Furthermore, phase one of the MRT Jakarta project will increase the confidence of financial institutions in funding future mass transportation projects nationwide.

A major challenge faced by stakeholders in the MRT project has been to navigate the bureaucratic processes that have to be overcome one at a time.

For instance, the Jakarta administration deliberated bylaws needed to proceed with the project, including the revision of Regional Regulation (Perda) No. 3/2008 and Perda No. 4/2008 on the establishment of PT MRT Jakarta and government capital injection. It also required a separate gubernatorial regulation as a legal basis for the use of underground space, as the existing spatial planning bylaw does not provide for this.

Further, the multi-layered processes of channeling funding from the foreign government lender to the project itself necessarily required strong coordination from the aforementioned stakeholders.

The strong leadership of Governor Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo and Deputy Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama has been essential to the progress of the project.

Obviously, strong public support is also required to ensure that the project is successful.

Thus, it is useful for the public to recognize that the short-term annoyance of enduring the extra traffic caused by construction work must be balanced with the long-term enjoyment of an operational mass rapid transit system, a hugely necessary venture that will undeniably have a positive impact on our collective efforts to better Jakarta '€” a long overdue endeavor for which the time has finally come.