Velodrome-Manggarai LRT line to be completed in September 2024

ILLUSTRATION/DOC. ANTARA

JAKARTA - The Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi said the Jakarta Light Rail Transit (LRT) route for the Velodrome-Manggarai route will be completed in September 2024.

"The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government has allocated funds and will be completed around 2024 in early September," said Budi Karya Sumadi after holding a meeting with Acting DKI Governor Heru Budi Hartono at the Jakarta City Hall reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, February 7.

He said the route is expected to accommodate around 185 thousand passengers per day.

The line will extend the Jakarta LRT line that was built previously, namely the Velodrome-Pegangsaan Dua route.

Manggarai Station is one of the central stations which is the center of passenger movement from a number of buffer cities to Jakarta.

From Manggarai Station, intercity passengers can go to Depok, Bogor, Tangerang using the Electric Rail Train (KRL) which will later be connected to the Jakarta LRT.

Meanwhile, Acting Governor of DKI Heru Budi Hartono said that currently, he is in the process of obtaining permits to carry out the construction of the Jakarta Velodrome-Manggarai LRT.

"The Kelapa Gading (Velodrome) - Manggarai LRT, he (the Minister of Transportation) is backing up and later asking for permits that are already in the process," he said.

Regarding DKI Jakarta's readiness for the Jakarta Velodrome-Manggarai LRT development budget, Head of the DKI Transportation Agency Syafrin Liputo explained that the DKI Pemprov has prepared around IDR 900 billion for the initial stage.

"The DKI Provincial Government has prepared approximately IDR 900 billion for the initial stage and it is hoped that by the end of 2024, the Jakarta Velodrome LRT to Manggarai will be operational," he said.

During the meeting between the Minister of Transportation and the Acting Governor of DKI, apart from discussing the Jakarta Velodrome-Manggarai LRT, they also discussed the development of the Tanah Abang Station and the construction of the West and East Jakarta MRT.

The plan is for the Jakarta MRT, which connects west and east Jakarta, to be made from Kembangan to Medan Satria.

"But later it will be connected a little to Bekasi because we need a population (passengers) and the governor already has land in Rorotan, so practically what the governor proposed or initiated is a strategic idea," said Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi.