Jakarta is welcoming the country's first Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), also known as the Moda Raya Terpadu train, named 'Ratangga' which in ancient Javanese means war chariot and is identical with strength and combatant.
The first phase of the project that was started on 2013 connecting Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta and the Hotel Indonesia station in Central Jakarta is currently at 99 percent completion.
At this stage, the MRT Jakarta as mentioned in its press news is conducting a full trial run as well as emergency operation training involving relevant stakeholders, including the police, military, fire and rescue team and health services until 11 March.
Jakarta, which in 2015 had a population of more than 10 million people, is considered late in providing fast, easy and affordable mass transportation services like London, New York and Tokyo.
"Even after the construction of a transportation system for big cities was decided in 1986, including its underground railroad network, it was only executed in the 2000s. But this model of transportation must be executed given the congestion conditions in Jakarta," a transportation observer from the Institute of Transportation Studies (Instra) in Indonesia Deddy Herlambang said.
It is reported that a series of trains can carry up to 1.900 passengers. At the start of the operation scheduled for the end of March 2019, the MRT Jakarta as the project operator aims to carry around 65,000 passengers per day and continue to increase to 130,000 passengers per day.
Motorists sit in a heavy traffic during the afternoon rush hour in Jakarta on February 21, 2019. Source: BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images
"And that number of moving those 130,000 people per day will be able to significantly begin to overcome the [numbers of vehicles] entering the city from the south," said the President Director of PT MRT Jakarta William Sabandar.
Previously, Mr. Sabandar said in an interview with Tirto.id that the MRT itself could not resolve Jakarta's traffic jams which causes losses of up to Rp. 60 trillion (6 billion dollars) per year.
"There must be an integration of light rail transit (LRT), proper pedestrian paths, decent cycling space, policies for the implementation of electronic road pricing, and increased parking values. So all these works are integrated. Only then the congestion can be overcome ," he explained.
PT MRT Jakarta opens the opportunity for the general public to participate in the trial for free starting on 12 March by registering via their website.
