President Jokowi inaugurates Jabodebek LRT

Jakarta, The Gulf Observer: President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) inaugurated the operation of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) for the Jakarta, Bogor, Depok and Bekasi (Jabodebek) areas at Cawang Station here on Monday.

In his remarks, the head of state is upbeat that the presence of the LRT would help to reduce congestion and air pollution.

“We hope that people will flock to the LRT, both those from Cibubur and its surroundings and those from Bekasi and its surroundings, so that we can avoid traffic jams and reduce pollution,” the president stated.

President Jokowi pointed out that Jakarta was always included among the 10 most congested cities in the world.

According to the reports he received, 996 thousand vehicles enter Jakarta every day, thereby causing congestion and pollution.

“Therefore, we are building the MRT, LRT, Transjakarta, BRT, and the airport train, so that all of us will switch from private transportation to mass transportation,” he stated.

The president acknowledged that it was not easy to switch to mass transportation. He cited the example of MRT trains that appeared full every day, though in reality, their maximum capacity had yet to be reached.

“The MRT is an example. Even though I see it is full every day, today’s capacity is only 80 thousand passengers, still less than the target of 180 thousand passengers. There is still unfilled capacity,” the president remarked.

The head of state noted that the LRT has a track length of 41.2 km, while a budget of Rp32.6 trillion was spent on its construction.

“By saying bismillahirrahmanirrahim, this morning, I inaugurated the integrated light rail transit for the Jakarta, Bogor, Depok and Bekasi areas,” the president stated.

The inauguration was marked by the tapping of an electronic card and the signing of an inscription by President Jokowi.