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Jakarta Post

City asks Jakarta Monorail to develop light rail transit

The Jakarta administration has sent a letter to monorail project operator PT Jakarta Monorail (JM) to find a new depot location in order to continue cooperation with the city administration and develop a light rail transit (LRT) system instead of monorail

Dewanti A. Wardhani (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Sat, May 30, 2015

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City asks Jakarta Monorail to develop light rail transit

T

he Jakarta administration has sent a letter to monorail project operator PT Jakarta Monorail (JM) to find a new depot location in order to continue cooperation with the city administration and develop a light rail transit (LRT) system instead of monorail.

Jakarta Legal Bureau head Sri '€œYayuk'€ Rahayu said the letter was sent to JM earlier this year. She said the letter included two requirements that JM must fulfill in order to continue cooperation with the city administration.

'€œThe first requirement is that JM must find a new location for the depot,'€ Yayuk told reporters at City Hall on Thursday evening.

The problematic monorail project began in 2004 under then governor Sutiyoso. The construction resumed in October 2013, with JM as contractor. However, construction has not progressed following disagreements between the city and the company. Moreover, the city administration is doubtful of the company'€™s ability to fund the project.

Further, the Jakarta administration saw that JM'€™s planned routes and stations were not feasible.

JM had planned to construct the first route, the green line, which will consist of 16 stations, extending 14.3 kilometers from the city police headquarters (Komdak) to Satria Mandala Museum, both in South Jakarta.

The stations and depot were to be built in Tanah Abang in Central Jakarta and Setiabudi in South Jakarta, among other places. Ahok said that the station in Tanah Abang would increase traffic congestion in the area as it would be built on existing roads. Further, the planned station in Setiabudi would be built on a reservoir.

'€œThe Public Works and [Public] Housing [Ministry] also sent a letter to the Jakarta administration saying that the Setiabudi reservoir was off limits. Therefore, JM must find a new location for the depot,'€ Yayuk said.

The second requirement, she went on, was that JM must participate in a new tender in order to continue cooperation with the city administration. '€œHowever, the bidding is not for a monorail system but for an LRT system. There will no longer be a monorail,'€ Yayuk said, adding that the city was still waiting for an update from JM.

The city administration and the central government agreed earlier this year to develop an LRT system, which would not only travel within Jakarta but also to and from satellite cities, such as Bekasi, West Java, and Tangerang, Banten.

Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama said that the city preferred the LRT system over a monorail as it was physically easier to expand and add routes. '€œThere are seven planned corridors but we may add more corridors in the future for better connections, and the LRT system would be easier to expand,'€ Ahok told reporters at City Hall on Friday.

Separately, JM director Sukmawati Syukur confirmed that the company received the letter from the city administration.

'€œWe'€™ve received and replied to the city'€™s letter. We stated that we need time for internal discussions and coordination,'€ Sukmawati said on Friday, adding that JM was preparing a route to adhere to the city'€™s requirements.

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