Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Jakarta
The Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project in Jakarta is an infrastructure project that aims to relieve great traffic congestion in Indonesia’s capital city. Currently, the North-South line of the project is being constructed (the groundbreaking ceremony was held in October 2013), while an East-West line is being studied. The North-South line, which will be constructed in two phases, connects Kampung Bandan (in North Jakarta) to Lebak Bulus (South Jakarta), a 23.3 kilometer-long track. The 1st phase, funded through a loan from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), which later merged into the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), is expected to open to the public in 2018.
The Jakarta MRT is estimated to cost at least USD $1.7 billion (including electrical and mechanical systems and the cost of rolling stock) and should be fully completed by 2027. The main owner of the project is the local Jakarta government.
Map of Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit:
Historic Background Jakarta MRT
Although it has been roughly 40 years since the concept of the Jakarta MRT was first raised, around 20 years since the first feasibility study was conducted (in the 1990s during the Suharto era), and about 15 years since Japan offered support to construct the Jakarta MRT (in the early days of the Reformasi era when Indonesia was in the recovery phase from the Asian Financial Crisis), only recently the project has taken off. After years of underinvestment in Jakarta’s infrastructure, traffic congestion had caused complete deadlocks on streets of several parts of Jakarta on working days. However, when Joko Widodo became Governor of Jakarta in 2012 (assisted by Deputy Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, better known as Ahok), the pair were eager to make a difference and pushed for realization of the long overdue Jakarta MTR project.
One notorious obstacle to infrastructure projects in Indonesia is land acquisition. Although most of the land that is necessary for the construction of the Jakarta MTR has been acquired, there remain some land acquisition issues, primarily in the southern section of the project which is constructed above ground level. This may cause a delay in completion of the project.
For the underground sections, 6.05-meter inner diameter tunnels need to be created removing an estimated 5 million cubic meters of material from the construction area. Part of this material will be used for infrastructure and property development in North Jakarta.
North-South Section Jakarta MRT:
| 1st Phase Lebak Bulus-Bunderan HI |
2nd Phase Bunderan HI-Kampung Bandan |
|
| Length of Track | 15.2 km (9.2 km elevated; 6 km underground | 8.1 km |
| Stations | 13 (7 elevated; 6 underground) | +7 underground between Bunderan HI-Kota; +1 at grade (Kampung Bandan) |
| Travel Time | 30 minutes | 22.5 minutes |
| Target Passengers per Day | 412,700 | 629,900 |
| Operation Target | 2016 | 2018 |
East-West Section Jakarta MRT:
| In pre-feasibility study | ||
| Length of Track | 87 km | |
| Operation Target | 2024-2027 | |
Source: MRT Jakarta
Further Reading:
• Infrastructure Indonesia: Update Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Project Jakarta
• Visit the official website of the Jakarta MRT
