Commercial Operations of Greater Jakarta LRT Will Commence in December

TheIndonesia.id - The operator of Greater Jakarta Light Rail Transit, or Jabodebek LRT, PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) has said the commercial operations of the railway system will begin in December this year or at the start of next year after trial phases are completed.

According to president director of PT KAI Didiek Hartantyo, the demo phase of Grade of Automation (GoA) level three used in Jabodebek LRT will start in August 2022, and it will be followed by a trial run in October.

Hartantyo said during the trial run period, Jabodebek LRT will be treated as if it’s running normally, but passengers will not be yet allowed.

“Then, in December 2022 or early 2023, commercial operations of Jabodebek LRT will start. Hopefully, the [project] completion can be done smoothly,” he said on Thursday, May 12, as reported by Antara.

As of now, Hartantyo could confirm that the project is 81.75 percent done, and it’s currently in the testing and commissioning steps.

Jabodebek LRT project construction started in 2015 and was aimed to connect capital city Jakarta with satellite cities within the Greater Jakarta region, including Bogor, Depok, and Bekasi.

Total investment for this project has reached Rp32.5 trillion (US$2.3 billion), and upon its completion, Hartantyo had previously expressed his hope that Jabodebek LRT can be the answer to the complicated public transportation problems in Indonesia.

“It’s expected to reduce traffic congestion, emission, fuel oil use, and traveling time, as well as encouraging economic growth,” he said earlier this year.

PT KAI has also previously revealed that the LRT is planned to operate from 5.45 a.m. to 11.00 p.m. to serve passengers and persuade them to shift to public transportation.