Jakarta is the capital and largest city of
Indonesia, harbouring 10 million inhabitants, one-third of the population of
Greater Jakarta. It is estimated that over four million residents of the surrounding
Greater Jakarta area commute to and from the city each working day. Transport issues are attracting increasing political attention with a government goal of increasing the number of trips using public transport to 60% by 2030.
Impending gridlock and stall The idea of MRT construction in Jakarta has been sparked since 1985 by the then Head of the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (currently the
National Research and Innovation Agency),
B.J. Habibie (a man who would later become
president). The BPPT said that population growth in Jakarta declined between 1985 and 1990. However, the growth of Jakarta's satellite cities was high so that the mobility of residents from the capital to Bodetabek was very large. The roads in Jakarta will no longer be able to accommodate the mobility of the population. Therefore, a mode of transport is needed that accommodates the mobility of people from the
Bodetabek area. As of 2010, public transportation in Jakarta served only 56% of commuter trips. This figure must be increased again considering the high growth of the vehicle population. The average growth of motorised vehicles in Jakarta was 9.5%, while the growth of road length only reached 0.1% between 2005 and 2010. This must be addressed with a policy to reduce and prevent severe congestion. Until then, public transportation in the city mainly consists of the
TransJakarta bus rapid transit system, the
KRL Commuterline commuter rail, and various types of
independent buses; starting from the very small
bemo and pickup-truck sized
mikrolet, to slightly larger
minibuses such as the widely used
MetroMini and
Kopaja minibuses and full sized
city buses. There are also both two and four wheeled
taxis. According to Dr. Soetjipto Wirosardjono, the deputy chairman of the Central Bureau of Statistics, the MRT system has never been a priority for the governors since they are mostly interested in the implementation of the project, and that means the system would take 15 to 20 years to complete. Many studies have been done either by the Germans, the French, the Japanese, or the
World Bank, and no decision has been taken regarding the implementation of a public transportation system. An international consortium was formed in August 1995 to prepare a feasibility study of the first line of the MRT system. The consortium is named Indonesian Japanese European Group (IJEG), composed of
Itochu Corporation of Japan, German companies Ferrostaal AG,
AEG, and
Siemens,
ABB,
Taylor Woodrow, and Indonesian companies such as
Bakrie Brothers,
Lippo, Bukaka Suthanthabie, Steady Safe, etc. In 1996, President
Soeharto's administration set out to build the Jakarta MRT with a 14.5-km and 17-station
Blok M‒
Stasiun Jakarta Kota route, fully built underground. In April 1997, an MOU agreement was signed with Tycoon Bamabang Trihatmodjo (Bimantara Group) for the joining of the consortium planning a US$2 billion system. The planned completion was set for 2001, but disputes over financing have delayed the venture. However, this endeavour failed due to the
1997‒1998 economic crisis. In 2000, the project was resumed after Indonesia's socio-political and economic conditions improved. At that time, the Study on Integrated Transportation Master Plan for Jabodetabek (SITRAMP) phase I was initiated. The main points of SITRAMP I were the reassessment of the MRT project of
Fatmawati‒
Monas route and the installation of the concept for SITRAMP II. At the request of the
Government of Indonesia,
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) was entrusted by the
Government of Japan to undertake the SITRAMP II study which lasted from November 2001 to March 2004. JICA offered the Fatmawati‒Monas route with several alternative construction designs to the government which were obtained after conducting a feasibility study.
First development underground line tunnel during construction (2019) The process of developing the first line of the Jakarta MRT began when President SBY designated the system as a national project. In November 2006, the first loan agreement was signed with JICA (then
Japan Bank for International Cooperation or JBIC) for the MRT project. The agreement includes study funding and construction work funding for the first MRT line. On 17 June 2008, the DKI Jakarta Government established PT MRT Jakarta as a
regional-owned enterprise company to support the construction and operation of the Jakarta MRT. The basic design work of this first line was carried out from 2010 to 2012. On 26 April 2012, the declaration of the preparation of the Jakarta MRT
North-South Line project was carried out by then DKI Jakarta Governor,
Fauzi Bowo. A year later, on 11 June 2013, the first three project contracts were signed, namely the underground track construction. Meanwhile, the contract for the elevated track was signed on 10 October 2013. This event was held in conjunction with the laying of the first stone to mark the start of construction by the new Governor,
Joko Widodo. Construction of the entire line was fully completed on 31 October 2017. Starting 12 March 2019, the line was opened to the public in a limited public trial that lasted until just before the inauguration. The first line of the Jakarta MRT was officially operated on 24 March 2019 after being inaugurated by President Joko Widodo.
Continued development At the same time as the inauguration of the first phase of the North-South Line, President Joko Widodo also launched the construction of the second phase of the North-South Line. The construction process for this phase is still ongoing. Unlike the previous phase, this second phase has been designed to be built with the concept of a transit-oriented area, making it easier for users to switch modes of transport. Meanwhile, phase II-B (Kota Tua‒
Ancol) is still under feasibility study. According to the JABODETABEK Urban Transportation Policy Integration Phase (JUTPI) report, the Jabodetabek transportation master plan (RITJ) will eventually form 10 MRT routes, which by 2035 will consist of: • MRT 01 Lebak Bulus-Kampung Bandan (2024) – the North–South Line. • MRT 02 Balaraja-Cikarang (From 2029 the initial phase of Ujung Menteng Kalideres) – the East–West Line which has undergone changes so that it passes through the Ujung Menteng-Tomang segment. • MRT 03 Kota-SHIA (2029) – passes Pluit and PIK. • MRT 04 Lebak Bulus-Cawang-Cilincing. • MRT 05 Karawaci-Cikarang Selatan (From 2029, Halim-Joglo). • MRT 06 Lebak Bulus-Rawa Buntu-Karawaci. • MRT 07 North Bekasi-South Bekasi. • MRT 08 Pluit-Grogol-Kuningan-Depok (From 2029, Pluit-Cilandak). • MRT 09 MRT Outer Ring Line (2034) – from Kamal to Cilincing following the Fatmawati-TMII route • MRT 10 MRT Inner Ring Line. Meanwhile, according to the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government on 12 November 2021 live at the Jakarta Investment Forum (JIF), the Railway Masterplan 2039 (Concept of DKI Jakarta Transportation Masterplan) will be divided into two based on ownership status. The first is the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government Urban Railway with 14 lines consisting of two MRT lines, six LRT lines and six "Jakarta Urban Railway" lines or PPJ for short. This PPJ is the benchmark for the route that will later be used for rail transportation in the future, which can use any means of rail transportation such as trams, LRTs or MRTs. Meanwhile, the second is the Central Government Railway with the Jabodebek LRT, KRL Commuterline (with the development of Jatinegara-Manggarai-Tanah Abang-Duri-Angke-Kampung Bandan-Jatinegara into an Elevated Loopline), and the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train The routes belonging to the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government are: • 01. MRT Lebak Bulus-Ancol Barat – the North–South Line. • 02. MRT Ujung Menteng-Meruya Utara – the East–West Line, which has undergone changes so that it passes through the Ujung Menteng-Tomang segment and is also extended with the Ujung Menteng-Cikarang and Tomang-Balaraja segments • 03. LRT Pegangsaan Dua-Velodrome • 04. LRT Kelapa Gading-JIS • 05. LRT Velodrome-Klender • 06. LRT JIS-Rajawali • 07. LRT Klender-Halim • 08. LRT Pulogebang-Joglo • 09. PPJ Rajawali-Pesing • 10. PPJ Pesing-Karet • 11. PPJ Pulogebang-JIS – Possibly becoming part of the MRT Outer Ring Line • 12. PPJ Lebak Bulus-PIK – Possibly becoming part of the MRT Outer Ring Line • 13. PPJ JIS-PIK – Possibly becoming part of the MRT Outer Ring Line • 14. PPJ Fatmawati-TMII – Confirmed to be the phase 4 of the MRT as part of the MRT Outer Ring Line Apart from that,
South Korea's
Hyundai Rotem offers an alternative Outer Ring Line route from Rawa Buaya to Ujung Menteng via Kembangan Station (Integration with the MRT East-West Line), Tanah Kusir Station (integration with the new station on the KRL Rangkasbitung Line), Fatmawati (Integration with the MRT North-South Line), then follow the Fatmawati-TMII route, then continuing back to Cikunir Station (integration with the LRT Jabodebek Bekasi Line), Cakung Station (Integration with the KRL Cikarang Line), and Ujung Menteng Station (Integration with the MRT East-West Line). == Funding ==