T

he Jakarta light rapid transit (LRT), which connects Kelapa Gading in North Jakarta to the Jakarta International Velodrome in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, is set to operate in early 2019, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan has said.

While monitoring the LRT on Wednesday, Anies said he hoped development of the LRT could finish on schedule.

“The inauguration and operations are scheduled for early 2019, when the development ends,” Anies said on Wednesday as quoted by wartakota.tribunnews.com.

The LRT received a limited operation permit from the Jakarta Transportation Agency on Sept. 4. Since Aug. 15, it has conducted trial runs with city officials and select residents.

The trip from Velodrome Station in Rawamangun to Kelapa Gading Boulevard Station takes around 13 minutes with the train traveling at 40 kilometers per hour.

Previously, the Jakarta administration aimed to start operating the 5.8-km LRT in time for the 18th Asian Games, which ran from Aug. 18 to Sept. 2, to connect Games venues in Kelapa Gading to the velodrome.