Jakarta plans transit system costing around $1 bln
Source: Reuters
JAKARTA, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Indonesia plans to build a mass rapid transit (MRT) system in Jakarta at an estimated cost of 9 trillion rupiah ($992.2 million) in a bid to help reduce traffic congestion, the Jakarta MRT Project Advisory Committee said. The committee and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) said at a joint news conference late on Tuesday that the project will be partly funded by loans from the JBIC, which includes a 150 billion rupiah loan from the bank for the first stage. The project, involving both above-ground and underground rail lines, is still in the preliminary stage of feasibility studies by an advisory committee comprised of academic, media and other experts. The bank did not elaborate on exactly how big its total loans for the project would be after the first stage. "Traffic jams (in Jakarta) are getting more and more serious. In response to those circumstances, JBIC has supported development of a public transportation network ... especially focusing on the railway," The JBIC said in a statement. The MRT, planned to be 14.5 km long (9 miles) with 12 stations running from the north to the south of Jakarta, is expected to start operations in 2014. Jakarta, which has around 9 million people living within its city limits and another five million in sprawling suburban districts, is plagued by traffic problems. Roads are clogged from morning till night with cars, motorcycles and ageing regular buses. Newer express buses run along a still-expanding network of special lanes, but some say the narrower space that leaves for other vehicles has exacerbated traffic jams. A monorail system is also under construction, but the project has suffered from funding problems, partners dropping out and general red-tape. ($1=9,071 rupiah)
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