Indonesian Govt to Construct Light Rail Transit in Four Large Cities

Palembang, MINA – Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi has said there would be four major cities in Indonesia that would be a priority for the construction of Light Rail Transit (LRT).

“There are four cities that have become the priority for the project, namely Medan, Bandung, Makassar and Surabaya,” said Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi in Palembang, South Sumatra, Monday (22/1), Republika reported.

According to him, a city needed LRT if the population of the city
already closed to 2 million people. He also explained that the development of LRT was not focused on Java Island only, but also on other big cities that have fulfilled the requirements.

Previously, Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi wanted Saudi Arabian investors to invest in LRT projects, especially for Bumi Serpong Damai to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. He mentioned that the investment value of LRT reached Rp 20 trillion.

Budi explained the reason for the offer of the LRT project to Saudi Arabian investors because of its high economic value, such as the potency of passengers to and from the airport.

“Many passengers are heading for the airport and their purchasing power is relatively high. We need to reduce congestion in the area near Soekarno Hatta Airport, so I want a lot of investment in the region,” he said.

He added that there were many benefits to be gained, ie, the decrease in traffic density at area near the Soekarno-Hatta Airport, as well as investors could reap huge profits because of their very high economic potential. In addition to Saudi Arabia, he said, South Korea and China were also interested in investment in the project..

Budi said ideally LRT project was soon built because of the need for transportation mode that provides certainty of travel time was badly needed.

“The cities are growing in the South of Jakarta so much nowadays and their inhabitants are pouring into Jakarta and this adds to the congestion.There will also be LRT from Kelapa Gading to the airport, that’s interesting,” he said. (LT/P2/RS5)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)