Jakarta, Indonesia (DT/KYODO) – Indonesian President Joko Widodo attended the ground-breaking ceremony Wednesday for the second train line of Jakarta’s mass rapid transit system, financed by a loan from Japan of about 140.7 billion yen ($990 million).
The MRT railway — the first phase of which, a 15.7-kilometer stretch on the North-South Line, opened in 2019 — “has changed the face of Jakarta and Indonesia,” the president popularly known as Jokowi, said during the ceremony at the site for Thamrin Station of the new East-West Line.
The North-South Line has carried about 120 million passengers since its opening, he said.
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The construction of the 84.1-kilometer East-West Line project consists of two phases, with the work for the 24.5-km first stage to be completed in 2031, according to the Japanese Embassy in Jakarta.
The new train line will be built with Japanese technology for the vehicle and signaling systems.
“The MRT system has become a symbol of economic cooperation between Indonesia and Japan,” said Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Yasushi Masaki at Wednesday’s event.
Jakarta faces serious traffic congestion and air pollution due to its rapid economic growth and population increase.
