Jakarta’s Jabodebek LRT opens

On 17 August, Indonesian Independence Day, commercial operation started on Jabodebek LRT in the capital of Jakarta, with President Joko Widodo aboard the first train. 

 

Although it is locally termed as ‘light rapid transit’, Jabodebek is essentially a standard-gauge metro with 31 locally-built six-car PT INKA trains operated on an elevated alignment, part of which started to be built as a monorail. The monorail project had been planned for many years, and construction started in 2013, but in 2015 the city government terminated its contract with PT Jakarta Monorel and decided to build ‘light rapid transit’ instead. 

 

Many delays pushed the original 2019 completion back to 2023. A 44.5km two-line system is now operating with line CB linking Dukuh Atlas in the city centre (interchange with the metro) with Harjamukti in the southern suburbs, and line BK running from Dukuh Atlas to Jatimulya (Bekasi Timur) in the eastern suburbs. 9.9km is shared by the two lines.  

 

Trial operation started on 12 July but had to be halted on 17 July for a software upgrade to be implemented. The cost of the project has been IDR 23.8tr (USD 1.8bn). The operator is Kereta Api Indonesia, owned by central government. Peak service is every six minutes. 

 

Jakarta (population 28M) also has a 15.7km 1067mm gauge metro electrified at 1500 V dc overhead opened in 2019 to link Lebak Bulus and Buderan HI. Also opened in 2019 is the LRT Jakarta, 5.8km from Velodrome to Kelapa Gading Mall, a standard-gauge isolated elevated line with two-car trains and third rail power.