Airport Rail Link for Jakarta by 2008

A 30-km airport rail link between Manggarai in Central Jakarta and Soekarno-Hatta international airport west of the Indonesian capital is now in the early planning stage and expected to be operational in 2008. The airport rail link would begin at the Manggarai railway station and extend westward to Soekarno-Hatta international airport with seven stops on the way.

The train service is expected to provide the public with an alternative way to reach or return from the airport within only 30 minutes

“We are now working out the details of the project for eventual inclusion in a master-plan. We hope the rail link can be ready for use in 2008,” the minister said during an inspection of preparations for the operation of a double railway track between Tanah Abang in Central Jakarta and Serpong, south of Jakarta.

Meanwhile, Ronny Wahyudi, president director of the Indonesian Railway Company (KAI), said the general plan and spatial allocation for the airport rail link project had yet to be approved by the Jakarta city administration. “But as soon as we have received the approval, we will start work on the project immediately,” he said.

The project was to cost a total of Rp700 billion, he said.

Earlier, the tranportation minister had said the Rp700 billion would include the cost of clearing the needed land, the building of 9.3 kilometers of new railway track from Kalideres to the airport, a fly-over at a certain point on the route and a station.

He said the airport train service was estimated to be able to serve about 30 percent of passenger traffic to and from Jakarta`s international airport.

Source: Antara News