Jakarta MRT will Commence Operation in March 2019

President Jokowi inspects the completion of Mass Rapid Transit tunnel (Connecting Patung Pemuda (Statue of Youth )- Hotel Indonesia Traffic Circle) on Thursday (23/2), in Setiabudi, Jakarta

After inspecting Simpang Susun Semanggi Project, President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo on Thursday (23/2) inspected the completion of Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) tunnel (connecting Patung Pemuda (Statue of Youth) – Hotel Indonesia Traffic Circle) in Setiabudi, Jakarta. “Today, I would like to inform you that all MRT tunnels are connected,” the President said.

President Jokowi further said that the MRT will In Shaa Allah start the operation in March 2019, but the construction will be finished during the 2018 Asian Games. “We hope the work can truly be based on that schedule so that the project will be finished just in time,” the President firmly said.

Regarding the budget to fund this project, President Jokowi said that the project needs huge budget that can be sourced from the State Budget (APBN), or from the combination of the State Budget and Regional Budget (APBD), as we applied to this project. “It also can be sourced from Cooperation between the Government and Business Entities (KPBU), Public-Private Partnership (PPP), or even from the investment. Thus, these combination that we can apply, and it will accelerate Indonesia’s infrastructure development,” the President added.

According to the President, there is no complaint about the matter of budgeting, both from the ministries, state-owned enterprises, and from the private sectors.

For the record, Setiabudi Station is the place where four tunnel boring machines used to drill the tunnel meet, namely Antareja and Antareja 2 (connecting Patung Pemuda-Setiabudi), and Mustikabumi 1 and Mustikabumi 2 (connecting Hotel Indonesia Traffic Circle–Setiabudi). The tunnel, stretching 6 kilometers from Patung Pemuda to Hotel Indonesia Traffic Circle is 18-26 meters depth below the ground.

The completion of this tunnel is part of the first-phase of the Jakarta MRT line from Lebak Bulus to Hotel Indonesia Traffic Circle with a total length of 16 kilometers. The meeting of four boring machines indicates that the implementation of Jakarta MRT’s underground construction is 80 percent finished. Antareja and Antareja 2 have been operating since September 2015, while Mustikabumi 1 and Mustikabumi 2 have been operating since March 2016.

During the event, President Jokowi was accompanied by Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi, Minister of State-owned Enterprises Rini Soemarno, Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimoeljono, MRT Jakarta Director William Sabandar and Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama.  (FID/AGG/EN)(RA/ YM/Naster)