MRT East-West line project to kick off
This article has been translated by PwC Indonesia as part of our Indonesia Infrastructure News Service. PwC Indonesia has not checked the accuracy of, and accepts no responsibility for the content.
Investor Daily - Proyek MRT jalur Timur-Barat akan dimulai
8 August 2023
Jakarta - The Transportation Ministry and Jakarta Provincial Government are kicking off the construction of MRT East-West Line. The Transportation Ministry has handed over the basic engineering design (BED) document for the construction of MRT East-West Line phase 1 stage 1 to Jakarta Provincial Government on Monday (7/8/2023).
The BED document was directly handed over by Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi to Acting Jakarta Governor Heru Budi Hartono.
In phase 1 stage 1, the development of MRT’s east-west corridor spans from Tomang to Medan Satria. If all corridors have been connected, the corridors will span 90 kilometres from Balaraja in Tangerang to Cikarang. It will go through three provinces, two regencies, and three cities.
Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said that MRT East-West Line was a national strategic project that must be monitored together.
“I am trusting this project to the Railways Directorate General as the leader of the railways sector that coordinates with related stakeholders, including Jakarta Provincial Government,” Transportation Minister Budi said in his official statement on Monday (7/8/2023).
After the BED document has been handed over, the Transportation Minister asked Jakarta Provincial Government to immediately appoint an institution to carry out their control and authority in the project’s construction. According to him, it must be implemented so that the construction can be carried out in accordance with President Joko Widodo’s direction.
“The Transportation Ministry will continuously implement rail-based mass transportation development with Jakarta Provincial Government. The groundbreaking is expected to be carried out in August 2024,” the Transportation Minister affirmed.
During the occasion, Acting Jakarta Governor Heru Budi Hartono said that President Jokowi has directed MRT East-West Line to use a similar construction scheme to MRT North-South Line.
“Reflecting on the success of the construction and the operation of MRT North-South Line and considering the continuity of urban railway transportation construction that must be in line with Greater Jakarta’s development, MRT East-West Line’s continuity must be ensured,” Heru said.
Currently, MRT North-South Line has been operating with a length of 16 kilometres from Lebak Bulus to Bundaran HI with an average number of passengers that reach 100,000 per day. Besides the MRT, Jakarta Provincial Government is also appointing PT MRT Jakarta (Perseroda) to manage and develop transit-oriented development (TOD) areas along MRT North-South Line.
“We hope that the development of phase 3 of Jakarta MRT will support railway public transportation development that significantly impacts the people in Jakarta and its surroundings,” Heru said.
MRT East-West Line is a joint initiative between the Transportation Ministry and Jakarta Provincial Government. The construction is a part of the development of the MRT North-South Line network that acts as the backbone of the rail-based mass transportation network in Jakarta and its surrounding areas. A consensus has been reached regarding the scheme for MRT East-West Line phase 1 that is a replica of MRT North-South Line’s scheme where the Transportation Ministry acts as the Executing Agency, Jakarta Provincial Government acts as the Implementing Agency, and PT MRT Jakarta (Perseroda) acts as the Sub-Implementing Agency. It also implements the on-granting on-lending financing scheme.
The BED document handover is one of the milestones of rail-based transportation development in Indonesia, especially in Jakarta. It is expected to positively impact the people in the future.
