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Jakarta LRT kicks off commercial operations for shoppers, cyclists, horse riders
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Passengers ride on the LRT Jakarta from Velodrome station on the first day of the LRT’s commercial
operation on Dec. 1. (JP/Alya Nurbaiti)
A
new Jakarta Light Rail Transit (LRT) line went on stream on Sunday with endorsements from weekend passengers, but questions linger about who this 6-kilometer service is intended for.
There was no big fanfare at the launch; not even Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan was present. PT LRT Jakarta acting president director Wijanarko led the modest ceremony at the Velodrome station.
The new Jakarta LRT line links the Pegangsaan Dua Station by the Kelapa Gading housing and shopping complex in North Jakarta with the Velodrome in East Jakarta, with four stops in between: Equisterian, Pulomas, South Boulevard and North Boulevard.
At Pegangsaan Dua, 343 paying passengers boarded the train in the first eight hours of business, surpassing the 300 daily average for the same duration during the free trial runs, station chief Fajar Surya Lesmana said.
The LRT service, which runs from 5:30 a.m to 11 p.m., was already popular among office workers during the free trial as more passengers took the service during weekdays than on weekends.
Groundbreaking for the construction of the Kelapa Gading-Velodrome line took place on June 22, 2016, but the actual work did not begin until May 2017. The route was intended to carry athletes of 2018 Asian Games, but the construction was delayed.
On its inaugural day, the LRT received ringing endorsements from passengers.
