Jakarta Provincial Government is currently preparing monorail project replacement, namely Light Rapid Transit (LRT), as scenario if PT Jakarta Monorail (JM) could not continue the mega project.

We will build LRT. The difference is that monorail cannot pass on overlap intersection, but rail (LRT) can. Many developed countries chose LRT more than monorail, like Singapore

“What happen if the monorail (PT JM) could not fulfill our request, then we cancelled it? Jakarta would not have mass public transportation? No. We will build Light Rapid Transit (LRT),” stated Acting Jakarta Governor Basuki T Purnama at City Hall, Monday (6/9).

Basuki admitted that the LRT funding is cheaper compared to the monorail funding. Not only that, the construction process is also easier.

“ We will build LRT. The difference is that monorail cannot pass on overlap intersection, but rail (LRT) can. Many developed countries chose LRT more than monorail, like Singapore ,” he told.

To realize LRT in the capital city, Basuki disclosed that Jakarta Provincial Government will auction the air right of 200,000 square meters to building managements or private companies.

“The construction process is faster due to using steel construction. Where the money comes from? I’ve asked my men to count it, why don’t we just auction it? Even PT JM asked 200,000 square meters,” he uttered.

However, Basuki admitted that PT JM is still given time to two months ahead to meet some requirements.

“But if they cannot fulfill it, we will cut the contract. We need to be polite, right? They need to come in but we still doubt, so we give them deadline for two months, can they answer our doubt?” he questioned.

According to Basuki, if the monorail project still continued, it will not instantly become solution to traffic congestion in Jakarta.

“We will still build LRT whether the monorail project realized or not. We’ll find a gap, because monorail technology is different and its maintenance is expensive,” he explained.