“I assure you the physical construction of the project will complete in 2018 and its operations will commence in 2019,” said Adhi Karya president director Budi Harto in Jakarta on Wednesday as reported by tribunnews.com.

The LRT is being constructed  24 hours a day in three shifts of working groups to speed up the construction, said Budi, adding that the project’s financial problems had also been resolved.

He said the government, through state capital injection, had spent Rp 2 trillion (US$150 million) on the project,  from its Rp 9 trillion commitment, while Adhi Karya had spent about Rp 1.4 trillion from its internal funds.

(Read also: State financing firm seeks loans for LRT project)

The first phase of the LRT covers Cibubur-Cawang, Bekasi Timur-Cawang and Cawang-Dukuh Atas, while the second phase covers Cibubur-Bogor, Dukuh Atas-Palmerah-Senayan and Palmerah-Grogol.

The entire project is estimated to cost around Rp 27 trillion, consisting of Rp 23.3 trillion for railway infrastructure and the remaining Rp 3.7 trillion for rolling stock. With the government contributing Rp 9 trillion, the remaining Rp 18 trillion must be obtained through loans.

Jokowi had initially hoped the LRT could be completed in 2018 so that it could be used to transport athletes and spectators to the 2018 Asian Games venues in Jakarta. (bbn)

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