After facing several problems, the Greater Jakarta light rapid transit (LRT) is almost 60 percent complete and is scheduled for a trial run in June.  The first phase of construction is focused on three lines, connecting Cawang to Cibubur in East Jakarta, Cawang to Kuningan in South Jakarta and Dukuh Atas in Central Jakarta, and Cawang to East Bekasi in West Java. 

Development began in 2015 after the government decided to abandon a monorail project. Plans are in place to connect the service to Depok and Bogor in West Java, as well as Palmerah and Grogol in West Jakarta. 

When fully operational, the LRT would be able to carry 500,000 passengers daily and is expected to alleviate congestion in Jakarta by encouraging residents in peripheral areas to commute to the capital by using the service. 

State-owned developer PT Adhi Karya, which is responsible for the LRT’s construction, has promised headway to be three minutes during peak hours. 

The service was initially scheduled to begin commercial operation in the third quarter of 2019, but problems with land acquisition for a train depot in East Bekasi has pushed the date to 2021. 

“So far, we have acquired around 1 hectare out 12 ha needed,” Adhi Karya operational director Pundjung Setya Brata said on Friday. “But the administrative steps to acquire the remaining land is showing good progress.”

He added that the company had also gained permission to construct a station at Dukuh Atas and work could begin next week. Previously, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo ordered all stakeholders in Greater Jakarta to work together to integrate transportation services and alleviate the city’s traffic.

Concerns were raised after it was revealed that the LRT would also have a station in Dukuh Atas, a major transportation hub that will serve the MRT, Transjakarta, commuter trains and the Airport Train. Adhi Karya is currently awaiting the arrival of LRT trains for the trial run in June.

State-owned train manufacturer PT Industri Kereta Api (INKA) is producing 31 trains for the service. Each train consists of six cars that can travel 100 kilometers per hour. It is designed to be driverless. 

The company promises that a trip from Cibubur to Cawang will only take 42 minutes. 

The first phase of construction cost Rp 22.8 trillion (US$1.6 billion), which according to some critics, including Vice President Jusuf Kalla, was still too expensive.

Adhi Karya shrugged off the concerns, saying that the cost was comparable to similar projects in other countries, if not cheaper. 

The cost to construct the LRT in Lahore, Pakistan, and LRT 3 in Malaysia, to name a few, was much higher, the company claims. Adhi Karya president director Budi Harto said the expenditure was necessary because according to the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), Jakarta traffic costs residents an average of Rp 65 trillion each year.

Given that the available land in Jakarta is limited, elevated tracks were the most feasible option, even though they may be costlier, he said. 

Budi further assured that all the sacrifices made by residents who had been affected by the LRT project, including worsening traffic, would not go to waste as the service aimed at alleviating congestion.

The affordable fare, which has been set at Rp 12,000 per trip, would encourage motorists to shift to the service, he added.

But according to transportation expert Darmaningtyas, whether or not motorist would want to shift to the service would depend on its connectivity. 

“Car owners will want to use the service because it’s more efficient than having to pay for the toll road and fuel. But for motorcyclist, they must have access to parking spaces near LRT stations,” he said.

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