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Agence France-Presse

Indonesia’s capital inaugurated its first mass rapid transit system on Sunday, a US$1.1 billion project seen as crucial to tackling some of the world’s worst traffic congestion.
President Joko Widodo and other officials joined a ceremony in Jakarta to give a green light for the 16km (10 mile) line, almost six years after construction began on the Japanese-backed project.
Tens of thousands of excited Jakartans were in attendance and eager to try riding on the subway for the first time, mobbing the president for selfies while music blared and traditional performers danced on a nearby stage.
“Honestly I am so happy,” office worker Mutia Fitrianti said.
“Now we don’t have to go abroad just to ride an MRT.”
The train system runs above and below ground and stretches from the central Hotel Indonesia to the southern reaches of the Southeast Asian megalopolis of some 30 million people.

It aims to cut travel times between the two points to just 30 minutes from around two hours, offering some relief to frustrated commuters long used to spending much of their day stuck in traffic.
The new line is set to open to the public on Monday, with tickets free during the first week.
Construction on a second line linking downtown to Jakarta’s northern port is also kicking off Sunday with completion slated for 2024, and more lines are envisioned in the future.
A separate elevated rail network is also being built to link satellite cities with Jakarta, nicknamed the Big Durian after the pungent fruit that bitterly divides fans and its detractors.
Jakarta’s long ride to an MRT is almost over. Will it boost Widodo during the Indonesian election?
The public transit projects are part of a sweeping infrastructure push that Widodo hopes will boost the fortunes of Southeast Asia’s biggest economy – and get him re-elected in national polls next month.
“If we have and integrated transportation system, it will be easier for people to go places and they will leave their cars or motorcycles at home,” Widodo told journalists on Sunday.
Over the past decade, rising incomes in the country of 260 million have created a ballooning middle class and sent vehicle ownership soaring.

But that’s also brought hazardous air pollution and annual economic losses that run into the billions as cars crawl along the capital’s roadways in the steamy tropical heat – alongside an underused bus system.
Jakarta launches US$266 million airport train to beat gridlock – and tickets are half the cost of a taxi
Environmentalists hope that the new line will cut traffic-linked carbon emissions by about half.
It could also make a dent in annual economic losses of some 65 trillion Rupiah (US$4.6 billion) linked to road congestion, according to government figures.
The multibillion dollar project is funded through a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

“We think MRT Jakarta is the project of the century for us,” JICA senior vice president Tanaka Yasushi said.
But transport analysts have cautioned that the new line and cheap prices will not cure the traffic woes of a city infatuated with private vehicles and with few decent sidewalks.
“The MRT won’t immediately ease the traffic because changing the culture and attitudes isn’t easy,” Hendi Bowoputro, a public transit expert at the University of Brawijaya, said before the inauguration.
And the line’s expected 130,000 daily passengers represent only about 10 per cent of those who already cram into a decades-old commuter rail network.
Additional reporting by Associated Press


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Indonesia

Gridlocked Jakarta inaugurates its first MRT system

Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo, who is campaigning for re-election, at the MRT inauguration ceremony in Jakarta. Photo: EPA

Motorists are seen during a traffic jam in Jakarta on March 6, 2019. (Photo by BAY ISMOYO / AFP)

epa07459512 Indonesian President Joko Widodo 2-L) has his photo taken with Indonesian actor Reza Rahadian (L) as they ride on the Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) train during the MRT inauguration ceremony in Jakarta, Indonesia, 24 March 2019. The MRT Jakarta will operations will commence on 24 March. EPA-EFE/DITA ALANGKARA / POOL POOL PHOTO

Indonesia's President Joko Widodo (C) speechs as he takes part on Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) first-phase launching in Jakarta, Indonesia, March 24, 2019. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan

Jakarta’s long ride to an MRT is almost over. Will it boost Widodo during the Indonesian election?

The first corridor of Jakarta’s US$1.1 billion MRT connects the iconic Hotel Indonesia roundabout at the city centre to Lebak Bulus in the city’s south. Photo: Kyodo

Vehicles travel along a road past a construction site for the Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) rail system in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019. Indonesia is scheduled to release fourth-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) figures on Feb. 6. Photographer: Dimas Ardian/Bloomberg

Map showing the MRT and LRT lines opening in Jakarta in 2019 for the story by Resty about the MRT being published on February 20, 2019

Workers labor at a construction site for the Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) rail system in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019. Indonesia is scheduled to release fourth-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) figures on Feb. 6. Photographer: Dimas Ardian/Bloomberg

An elevated track for the Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) rail system stands near Station Blok M in this aerial photograph taken in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019. Indonesia is scheduled to release fourth-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) figures on Feb. 6. Photographer: Dimas Ardian/Bloomberg

An elevated track for Jakarta’s MRT. Photo: Bloomberg

FILE - In this Sept. 23, 2018 file photo, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, and his contender Prabowo Subianto share a light moment during a ceremony marking the kick off of the campaign period for next year's election in Jakarta, Indonesia. Echoing the campaign tactics of Donald Trump, former Indonesian Gen. Prabowo Subianto says his country, the world's third-largest democracy, is in dire shape and he is the leader who will restore it to greatness. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana, File)

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Southeast Asia

The line that opened Sunday includes seven elevated and six underground stations
President Joko Widodo also presided over groundbreaking ceremony for an 8km line heading northward that is planned to be completed by 2024


Jakarta’s first subway line, the latest of many infrastructure improvements across the world’s fourth most populous nation, is aimed at helping it catch up with other Southeast Asian capitals.
