TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Bekasi administration has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with private parties to construct the aeromovel. “The construction will kick off in February 2016, we are now still at the planning stage,” Bekasi deputy mayor Ahmad Syaikhu said on Sunday, April 5, 2015.
The planned aeromovel will connect elite housing complexes Kemang Pratama, Summarecon and Harapan Indah on a 12 km track with a total investment reaching Rp2 trillion.
The private companies involved in this project are PT Publik Privat Partnership, PT Intiadi Dwi Mitra Sejahtera and PT Cakar Bumi Integrasi. The aeromovel has been put into operation at Taman Mini Indonesia (TMII) cultural park in East Jakarta.
Ahmad said this project’s realization would make Bekasi the country's first city to operate the aeromovel, and that it would also ease congestion in the city. He added the money for the project did not stem from the city’s budget and the Bekasi administration only provided the land for the construction.
Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI) head Danang Parikesit, meanwhile, said the aeromovel was unsuitable for Indonesia, adding that the wind-powered transport mode’s effectiveness was still questionable. “The technology has not been proven yet,” he said on Sunday, April 5, 2015.
Danang said it would be better if the money were spent on other rail-based transport modes, such as the commuter line or the light rail transit (LRT). “There are many that are more compatible than the aeromovel,” he said.
ADI WARSONO | ERWAN HERMAWAN
