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JAKARTA, Indonesia – Commuting to the Indonesian capital will lead to some less frustration, sweat and smoke when its first subway line opens later this month.
This line is the latest in infrastructure improvements nationwide, which, it is hoped, will help the giant country but lag behind to catch up with its neighbors.
The 16-km network linking downtown Jakarta to the south is the first phase of a development that, if fully realized, will establish a network of cross-shaped stations on the 30 million-strong city. inhabitants. A $ 2.4 billion elevated rail network linking Jakarta and its satellite cities is also emerging. The first step should begin in April.
Traffic congestion has increased steadily over the past 10 years as the number of cars has increased, forcing more and more vehicles onto the immovable Jakarta road network. According to the Department of Transportation, average rush hour speed has "dropped dramatically" to 10 kilometers at the hour. It often takes two hours or more to cover five kilometers in neighborhoods of the city.
Annual losses due to congestion are expected to reach $ 6.5 billion next year. Without more efficient public transport, Carmageddon is even more at risk in Jakarta, as rising incomes turn owners of its 18 million motorcycles into car owners.
But it will probably be several years before mbad mbad transit can reduce congestion. About 1.4 million people travel to central Jakarta on working days. The initial subway line aims to carry only about 130,000 people a day by the end of the year.
"We need more lines, continuing north, we need the east-west line, we need the loop line. At this point, we can talk about a significant impact of this metro on traffic congestion in Jakarta, "said Jakarta MRT President, William Sabandar, during an interview.
"But it's already a big momentum. What I am waiting for now is that it can give the impetus to promote the use of public transport in Jakarta, "he said.
He added that the subway north of the city should start operating in 2024 and that the east-west line could be ready by 2026 if work begins next year as planned.
The city's middle clbades are worried about the self-efficacy of cities like Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and Singapore or Bangkok's rapidly expanding suburban rail network, and wish to see progress in transportation.
"It's very comfortable and I think I'll always use it," said Anthon Pasaribu, an oil company employee, after joining the thousands of Jakartans who took the subway on trial.
"The average outside temperature is 30 degrees but as soon as we get inside, the temperature goes up to 23-24 degrees. It is very comfortable and we do not sweat at all. If we go to lunch, it's very comfortable, "he said.
Jakarta is also facing much more fundamental problems that are only slowly being solved.
Subject to floods and rapid sinking due to the uncontrolled extraction of groundwater, Jakarta is the archetypal Asian megacity that moans under the weight of its dysfunction. Middle-clbad office workers live in luxury oases that strive to become the center of Jakarta, but ultimately aggravate their problems.
Behind the modern facade of the glittering office towers along the main artery, remodeled for last year's Asian Games, are densely populated neighborhoods without sewage treatment or wastewater treatment. According to the government, only 4% of Jakarta's wastewater is treated, causing mbadive pollution of the rivers and contaminating the groundwater supplying the city.
Regina Synthia, who works for an international NGO, said she spent about a third of her income on taxis and buses. As she lives near the last subway station of the new subway line, she hopes it will decrease considerably.
Getting to Jakarta center for meetings is a long and stressful business. But his employer is moving his office to a location close to a metro station downtown. This means that most of his workers can commute to work.
"With this TRM, it may be able to change our paradigm," she said. Going to downtown for meetings, "we are no longer afraid".
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