JAKARTA: President Joko Widodo launched the construction of phase 1 of the East-West Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), namely from Medan Satria, Bekasi City, to Tomang, West Jakarta, spanning 24.5-km long, reported Indonesian News Agency (Antara).
The head of state launched the new MRT phase at the Thamrin MRT station in Central Jakarta on Wednesday (Sept 11).
"We want to expand and widen the scope of development. Today, we launch phase 1 for the East-West MRT route, namely from Medan Satria to Tomang, which stretches along 24.5km."
Widodo, also known as Jokowi, highlighted that the new route will expand the reach of the north-south MRT from Lebak Bulus-HI, which has been operating since March 2019.
"The north-south phase 1 has changed the look of Jakarta and its transportation mode."
The president stated that since becoming operational, the Jakarta MRT has served around 120 million passengers, a significant achievement for public transportation in the capital city.
Meanwhile, the MRT construction work is ongoing, with a focus on phase 2A connecting the northern and southern areas from the Hotel Indonesia area to the Kota area.
Currently, the progress in the construction of phase 2A, with a length of 5.6km, has reached 40 per cent.
The MRT Phase 2A project is divided into two segments, namely segment one of the HI Roundabout-Harmoni, which is targeted for completion in 2027, and segment two of Harmoni-Kota, targeted for completion in 2029.
This project is expected to expand the transportation network and offer convenience to Jakarta's residents in their daily activities.
"MRT will support Jakarta as a global city, Jakarta as an agglomeration city with its surroundings, and achieving civilisation with modern transportation after it is completed."
Minister of Transportation, Budi Karya Sumadi; acting Governor of DKI Jakarta, Heru Budi Hartono, and Japanese ambassador to Indonesia, Masaki Yasushi, were present at the launch. - Bernama-Antara
