President Jokowi Gives Directions Regarding MRT East-West Route To Heru Budi

Acting Governor of DKI Jakarta Heru Budi Hartono at the DKI DPRD building, Central Jakarta, Friday (4/8/2023). BETWEEN/Siti Nurhaliza

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo has given directions to the Acting Governor of DKI Jakarta Heru Budi Hartonoagar MRT East-West Line to be built using a scheme similar to the North-South Line MRT.

According to Heru, the construction and operation of the North-South Line MRT is considered successful.

"Considering the continuity of urban railway transportation development which must be in line with the development in the Jabodetabek area, the East-West Line MRT needs to be ensured," said Herudilansir ANTARA, Monday, August 7.

Heru said this when receiving the Basic Engineering Design (BED) document for the East-West MRT Phase 1 Phase 1 from the Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub).

Currently, the North-South Line MRT has operated 16 kilometers (km) from Lebak Bulus to the HI Roundabout with an average daily passenger reaching 100,000 per day.

In addition to the implementation of MRT operations, the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government has also given a mandate to PT MRT Jakarta to manage and develop Transit Oriented Development (TOD) areas on the North-South Line MRT.

"We hope that the development of the MRT Jakarta Phase 3 route will support the development of railway public transportation which has a broad impact on the people of DKI Jakarta and its surroundings," said Heru as conveyed in a written statement.

The East-West Line MRT project is a National Strategic Project (PSN). The submission of BEDini is one of the achievements for the development of rail-based mass transportation in Indonesia, especially in DKI Jakarta Province.

This is expected to have a positive impact on the progress of the community in the future.

MRT East-West Line is an initiative of the Indonesian Ministry of Transportation and the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government. Its construction is part of the development of the North-South Line MRT network.

In Phase 1 Phase 1, the development of the MRT of the East-West corridor will cover the route from Tomang to Medan Satria. Overall the connected corridors will stretch 90 kilometers from Balaraja in Tangerang to Cikarang.

"I entrust this project to the Directorate General of Railways as the coach of the railway sector to coordinate with related'stakeholders', including the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government," said Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi.

Budi hopes that the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government (Pemprov) will immediately appoint institutions under its control and authority to carry out the construction of the East-West Line MRT project.

The Ministry of Transportation, said Budi, continues to support the implementation of rail-based mass transportation development together with the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government.

"It is hoped that the groundbreaking can be carried out in August 2024," said Budi.