JAKARTA. The Jakarta administration is set to begin bidding and construction this year on a light rail transit (LRT) system in an attempt to offer decent public transportation in the capital city.

Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama said the city would first form a management unit (BLUD) for the LRT under the Transportation Ministry this year in order to prepare bidding documents for the LRT infrastructure and system.

“This year we will form the LRT BLUD under the charge of the Transportation Ministry to prepare for bidding. Hopefully we can begin construction on the first corridor of the LRT system soon after the bid,” Ahok announced to reporters at City Hall on Tuesday.

The first corridor of the LRT system stretches 21.6 kilometers from Kebayoran, South Jakarta, to Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta. Preliminary research by the city administration previously revealed that the first corridor would cost roughly Rp 9.2 trillion (US$697 million), Rp 7.5 trillion for infrastructure and Rp 1.7 trillion for rolling stock procurement.

Ahok went on to say that the city administration had consulted with the National Development Planning Board (Bapedda) and multinational professional service network PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and had decided to continue with the city’s plan to develop the LRT.

“We’ve already completed the design, including the depot, stations and routes. We’ve also consulted with Bappeda and PwC, so we can begin bidding for construction of the infrastructure this year,” he said.

Previously, state-owned construction company PT Adhi Karya (ADHI) agreed to develop two LRT routes: one stretching from Cibubur to Cawang, both in East Jakarta, to Grogol in West Jakarta, and another from Bekasi in West Java to Kuningan in South Jakarta to Dukuh Atas in Central Jakarta. ADHI proposed a rights issue as part of its efforts to raise funds for the development of the LRT.

Additionally, Financial and Asset Management Board head Heru Budi Hartono said that the city would earmark Rp 1 trillion for the LRT BLUD in the 2015 revised budget in order to begin the bidding process for the construction of the LRT system.

“The LRT BLUD will receive about Rp 1 trillion in the revised budget. The amount is still subject to change; it may be increased or decreased. We will begin bidding after the revised budget is approved. Hopefully we can start construction in the second semester,” Heru told reporters near Jl. Sabang in Central Jakarta on Tuesday.

Separately, the governor’s assistant on industry, trade and transportation, Sutanto Soehodho, said the corridors would be connected and integrated with other modes of transportation to facilitate traveling in the city. He said that in the future, the city was also looking to expand corridors to satellite cities, not only Bekasi but also Tangerang, with help from the central government.

“Similar to the MRT [mass rapid transit], we will conduct two different bids: one for the infrastructure and another for the rolling stock and technology,” Sutanto said over the phone on Tuesday.

Aside from corridors built by the city administration and ADHI, the city is also planning six other corridors: a 17.6 km route from Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, to Pulomas, East Jakarta; an 11 km route from Joglo, West Jakarta, to Tanah Abang; a 9.3 km route from Puri Kembangan, West Jakarta, to Tanah Abang; a 20.7 km route from Pesing, West Jakarta, to Kelapa Gading; an 18.5 km route from Pesing to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang; and a 10 km route from Cempaka Putih, Central Jakarta, to Ancol, North Jakarta. (Dewanti A. Wardhani)

Editor: Edy Can