2nd batch of Japanese transit trains arrives

JAKARTA: A cargo of 24 Japanesemade train carriages arrived in Jakarta this weekend as the second batch of rolling stock for a government-run mass rapid railway project partly financed by the Japanese government.

The carriages — constituting four Mass Rapid Transit Jakarta trains, manufactured by Nippon Sharyo Ltd — arrived at Tanjung Priok Harbour in the Indonesian capital on Saturday after departing from Toyohashi in the central Japan prefecture of Aichi on Aug 4.

According to Tubagus Hikmatullah, head of the Corporate Secretary Division of PT Mass Rapid Transit Jakarta, the carriages will be sent in stages to the MRT Jakarta depot in Lebak Bulus area in South Jakarta from yesterday to Aug 27. The arrival of the 24 carriages follows 12 that arrived in April.

MRT Jakarta will have a total of 16 trains in total in the 15.7-km first phase, operating 14 of them on daily runs from Lebak Bulus to Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta and keeping the rest as backup trains.

By the end of March next year, the first line will begin its full commercial operation, with expectations that it will alleviate severe traffic congestion in the largest city in Southeast Asia. Construction is being partially funded by the Japanese government, with the Japan International Cooperation Agency providing a US$1.29 billion soft loan for the first phase.