A new Jakarta LRT line went live 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 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.

“It’s a comfortable trip. The service is great because the officers are friendly,” said Siti Cholila, 22, who rode with her two friends to the Velodrome.

The LRT has one fixed fare: Rp 5,000 (35 US cents) for each ride. Passengers can use most of the popular e-money cards. You can also buy a single-journey ticket, but you need to pay a refundable Rp 15,000 deposit.

Sumarni Tedjo, 64, used her e-money card to travel from Velodrome to North Boulevard. She has been a frequent LRT passenger since its trial run in June.

“I think it’s worth it as I can travel in eight minutes inside an air conditioned vehicle. With angkot [transit vans] I pay Rp 4,000 for 15 minutes,” she said.

However, another Sunday rider, Harly Regawa, 39, said the first LRT line did not run along traffic jam routes.

“The route from Velodrome to Kelapa Gading is not heavily congested. It will be more helpful to connect the line into more routes with heavy traffic,” Harly said.

The second phase of the LRT project will begin next year. City-owned developer PT Jakarta Propertindo has proposed linking Kelapa Gading to Sunter Agung in North Jakarta, and from Velodrome to Manggarai, South Jakarta.

Responding to criticisms that the short LRT has limited uses, Fajar said the service would be integrated with that of the Transjakarta bus services linking with their stations where possible. They already integrated the Velodrome stations to the Pemuda bus stations with a 500-meter footbridge opened in June.

“We’re aware that Velodrome is not a final destination for some passengers. They are office workers who transit at Velodrome before going to Dukuh Atas,” he said.

Another bigger LRT project is also in the making. The Greater Jakarta LRT is to launch in 2021, spanning 83.6 km in total linking Cibubur and Central Jakarta through the east.

The construction is more than half complete, with the first LRT train placed at Harjamukti Station in Cibubur in October. The service will operate 31 trains with a total capacity for about 1,500 passengers. It will also have 17 stations and be divided into three sections: Cibubur-Cawang, East Bekasi-Cawang and Cawang-Dukuh Atas. (aly)

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