T

he Jakarta administration is struggling to find vacant land to accommodate the train depot for the second phase of the MRT project after abandoning the idea to place it near the planned BMW Stadium in Sunter, North Jakarta.

The plan to build the depot near the stadium had been scrapped, as the available land in that location measured only 25 hectares, most of which would be needed for the construction of the soccer stadium, said Dwi Wahyu Daryoto, the president director of city-owned developer PT Jakarta Propertindo (Jakpro).

He said ideally the MRT train depot would not be built in that area, as it had been allocated for the stadium. He explained that, if the train depot required 12 ha of space, the remaining 13 ha would be insufficient for the stadium and the other facilities.

“The MRT train depot is also a vital object, and it should not be built in an area that has the potential to draw massive crowds,” he said on Thursday.

The planned international-standard BMW Stadium will have 80,0000 seats and be the home base for Jakarta’s main soccer club, Persija. The area will also be used to build supporting facilities, such as a hotel, transit-oriented development (TOD) infrastructure as well as an art performance facility. Jakpro will kick off construction work on the long-awaited stadium in March and is expected to complete the project in 2021.

Dwi said the construction of the depot was in the hands of PT MRT Jakarta, the city-owned operator of the MRT, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) as the loan provider for the massive project.

MRT Jakarta secretary, Muhammad Kamaluddin, said the company would instead build a station at the BMW Stadium following the cancellation of the train depot construction.

He said the company needed a spacious plot for the train depot, while the available land at the stadium’s location was only enough for a station.

“A depot must have space for the trains to stop, undergo regular maintenance and other operational measures. While a station is only to carry and drop passengers. A depot requires more land than a station,” Kamal said on Friday, as reported by Antara.

The company, he said, was now considering other locations to house the MRT depot. He did not give further details, but the location could be an extension of the terminal Kota Station in West Jakarta.

The second line of the MRT will connect the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta with northern Jakarta. It is expected to be completed in 2024 and begin operating in the first quarter of 2025.

The initial plan to build the depot at Kampung Bandan in North Jakarta ran up against land acquisition problems, prompting the city to look for an alternative location.

The administration decided to make Kota the final station of the second MRT line. MRT Jakarta has promised it would take passengers no longer than 15 minutes to travel from the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle to the final destination, running through seven stations, namely Sarinah, Monas, Harmoni, Sawah Besar, Mangga Besar, Glodok and Kota.

MRT Jakarta president director, William Sabandar, previously said he expected the administration to decide on a location for the depot before March, as the company aimed to start a feasibility study.

William said uncertainty over the depot’s location would not affect the groundbreaking of the project, which was planned to take place this month.