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Fauzi Insists Contractor to Blame For Long-Stalled Monorail Project
Arientha Primanita | June 24, 2010

Foundations for the construction of the monorail network create an unsightly scene on Jl. HR Rasuna Said, Jakarta. The monorail development has been suspended for several years, leaving the foundations to rust. The project has now finally been scrapped. (JG Photo/Afriadi Hikmal) Foundations for the construction of the monorail network create an unsightly scene on Jl. HR Rasuna Said, Jakarta. The monorail development has been suspended for several years, leaving the foundations to rust. The project has now finally been scrapped. (JG Photo/Afriadi Hikmal)
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Jeanne Hachette
5:18am Jun 25, 2010

Come on Roland, you cannot have a foreign company building the monorail. You seem to forget about the stupid nationalist pride and the greed which are holding back the development of this country. Bowo, resign and give the keys of the city to Singapore please. All Jakartans will thank you for that.

Roland
7:15pm Jun 24, 2010

PS - looking at the picture - these monorail relics could be mantled, painted green and brown and some plastic leaf attached to it so they could still be "sold" to the public by the city as their successful attempt to make Jakarta a green city!


Roland
7:11pm Jun 24, 2010

A few days ago....Mr. Fauzi Bowo announced that the monorail project will go forward!

Today...once again, the ball game about the money starts again(!), critical voices are heard (most probably even rightfully) that this monorail project is merely a vanity product and could never be regarded as a mass transportation system.

And ... actually, better finish for once one project, as the Transjakarta one and THEN start thinking about a better solution, e.g. a subway or maybe even a tramway (rails could be laid on the already existing Transjakarta routes) and some interconnecting railroad system - clean, safe, on time! And maybe some huge parking building in the outskirts of the city and proper mass transport connection to the inner city! And for heavens sake, get some really competent INTERNATIONAL city planners to do the job, and NOT some woohoo PT from Indonesia without a clue but ultra deep pockets!

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Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo pointed out on Wednesday that as much as he wanted the long-delayed monorail project to go forward, the ball was now in the court of private developer PT Jakarta Monorail.

“We are still waiting for their move,” Fauzi said on Wednesday at City Hall. “It’s not our project, it’s their’s, and we need to talk to them.”

Sutanto Suhodo, deputy to the governor for trade, industry and transportation, said the project could not continue until the administration and Jakarta Monorail settled a dispute over money already owed to the contractor.

He added the compensation, if agreed to, should ideally come from some kind of public-private partnership.

“It would be a strain on the administration to have to pay it, because we’re still bound by foreign loans for the [mass rapid transit] project,” Sutanto said.

A two-year probe by the State Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP) into the long-delayed project ruled that the city owed Jakarta Monorail Rp 204 billion ($22.64 million) to cover its losses from earlier phases of the venture. The developer is reportedly seeking Rp 600 billion, far more than the BPKP’s appraisal.

Jakarta Monorail officially abandoned the project in 2008, citing financial problems and legal disputes. Experts have called for it to be shelved for good.

The monorail was approved in 2003. Under the plan, Jakarta Monorail was to build two lines — the first, a loop line through Semanggi, Casablanca, Kuningan, Sudirman and Karet.

The second route would serve Kampung Melayu, Casablanca, Karet, Tanah Abang, Roxy and Mall Taman Anggrek.

Pylons half constructed in 2004 that still line Jalan Rasuna Said and Jalan Asia-Afrika in South Jakarta bear testament to mismanagement surrounding the project.

Sukmawati Syukur, president of Jakarta Monorail, said the company had not formally received the BPKP’s appraisal of Rp 204 billion, and would have to wait for official notification before deciding whether to accept.

“Once we received the offer, we will discuss it with our shareholders, who will decide whether or to accept it,” she told the Jakarta Globe.

She added that officials from the company and the city administration would meet soon to discuss the impasse.

Danang Parikesit, secretary general of the nongovernmental Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI), said the city administration should issue a regulation ensuring no more key infrastructure projects were abandoned.

He added all the possible scenarios for a project should be explored before proceeding.

“They should determine well before construction even begins whether a particular project can feasibly be carried out, and whether the developers behind it are capable of seeing the whole thing through to completion,” he said.

He said the administration should be obliged take over any project in which a feasibility study showed the developer was not financially competent or the venture was not viable.

“There should be an independent evaluation of the options available to the city administration, to lay the foundation for strong basic policy,” Danang said.

He also lambasted the monorail project as a vanity venture, pointing out that in most other countries, monorails were usually built either for recreational purposes or as a technological showcase.

“Monorails were never conceived to be any kind of solution for public transportation needs, due to their very limited capacity,” he said.

This crucial limitation of the technology, Danang went on, was what put off many potential investors from backing the project and leading Jakarta Monorail to abandon the venture.

He urged the city administration to instead focus on completing the TransJakarta busway network, increasing the frequency of commuter trains serving the Greater Jakarta area and starting up construction on the MRT.

Once completed, Danang said, these projects should have far more significant impact on reducing road traffic than the monorail.