President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has directed that a feasibility study for the East-West Line of the Jakarta Integrated Transport System (MRT), which will connect Cikarang-Balaraja, be expedited.

“We hope that with the continuation of Phase 2A, later it will also be able to immediately proceed to Phase 2B from Harmoni, from Kota to West Ancol,” he said while launching Phase 2A of the Jakarta MRT’s tunnel boring machine (TBM), which will connect the HI Roundabout Station to Kota Station, here in Jakarta on Thursday.

“And after that, the feasibility study of the East-West line must be completed and executed immediately,” President Jokowi said.

The President also provided similar instructions regarding the feasibility study for the MRT project in South Jakarta, which is planned to connect Fatmawati and Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII).

“Hence, Jakarta will have a subway, MRT, LRT, TransJakarta integrated with all existing (transportation) modes,” he said.

“This is public service provided by the Jakarta provincial government so that those who want to go from one place to another can take advantage of existing public transportation means,” he elaborated.

In the meantime, Director of PT MRT Jakarta William Sabandar said he hoped the existence of MRT would facilitate community mobility while reducing pollution in DKI Jakarta.

“We hope that traffic jams in Jakarta will decrease, people will use public transportation more, and of course, Jakarta will become a pollution-free city,” he added.

At Thursday’s launch, President Jokowi was accompanied by Minister of National Development Planning (PPN)/Head of Bappenas Suharso Monoarfa; Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi; Ambassador of Japan to Indonesia Kanasugi Kenji; and, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan.

Source: Antara News