JAKARTA (TheInsiderStories) - The construction of Mass Rapit Transportation (MRT) system in the capital city of Jakarta is now 65% completed and is on target to start operation on March 1, 2019, President Director of PT MRT Jakarta William Sabandar said Thursday (Feb 23).
He made the statement during the visit of President Joko Widodo to check the progress of the project in Setiabudi Station. The President was accompanied by Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama.
President Joko Widodo said he hopes the surface of the MRT tunnel will be cleared during the 2018 Asian Games. “We hope the project will be on scheduled and completed on time,” he said.
Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama said the completion of the MRT is projecte to ease traffic in the heart of the city by a minimum of 30%.
The developer uses four giant tunnel boring machines, each has about 6 meters in diameter. The tunnel boring machines digged the tunnel between six and 16 meters deep underground at a speed of 8 meters per day, removing 5 million cubic meters of maerial from the construction area.
The first phase of the project is stretched underground from Youth Advancement Monument (Patung Tugu Pemuda) in Senayan through to the heart of the city.
“The completion of the first phase of the tunnel is an achievement of MRT Jakarta,” he said. He added that the four giant tunnel boring machine have now approached each other. THis reflects a completion of 80% of the tunnel work.
William said he first tunnel boring machine Anareja 1 and second unnel boring machine Antareja 2 began the works from September 2015 from Patung Tugu Pemuda to Setiabudi.
Meanwhile, the giant boring machine Mustikabumi 1 and Mustikabumi 2 kicked off its tunnel boring since March 2016. The machines work day and night, except Sunday for maintenance.
President Joko Widodo has also asked the project developer to fast forward the second and third phase of the MRT project.
The second phase is expected to begin in 2018.
The President hopes the project will be 93% completed by the end of this year. The next phase is constructing the tunnel from Hotel Indonesia to East Ancol with a length of 15 km.
The MRT will be integrated with LRT (light rapid transport), Trans Jakarta and Jadebotabek Railway Commuter system.
The MRT project is being carried out by consortium of Japanese and Indonesian state owned construction companies, namely Tokyu, Shimizu, Obayashi, Misui-Sumitomo, PT Wijaya Karya, Jaya Konstruksi and Hutama Karya.
The MRT is designed to carry passengers of 173,000 per day. It will take about 30 minutes from Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta to Bunderan HI (HI Roundabout). (*)