TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The tender prequalification for the airport express train project scheduled to be held in December 2016 is expected to be postponed due to an adjustment of the project realignment.
"[The Transportation Ministry] needs to look into the master plan for the tracks, because there are other initiatives, such as the light rapid transit project (LRT) and the mass rapid transit (MRT) phase II," PT Sarana Multi Infrastruktur (SMI) president director Emma Sri Martini said in Jakarta on Monday, October 5, 2016.
According to Emma, the Ministry needs to integrate tracks for the two projects. In addition, the capacity of the stations to be built needs to be adjusted.
Emma suggested that the express train realignment would adjust the potential number of passengers and the amount of investment needed for the project. Based on the meeting held with the Presidential Staff Office in July 2015, the development of the express train project would use Transportation Minister Regulation No. 1264/2013 issued in December 2013.
In terms of financing, Emma revealed that the preparation team recommended the viability gap funding from the government, so that the project would be financially feasible. Based on the provisions, the government funding would account up to 49 percent of the total cost. However, Emma said that the government is still calculating the amount of VGF to be allocated for the project.
The express train project was predicted to cost about Rp 20 trillion (US$1.5 billion). The express train will serve a route that connects Halim Perdana Kusuma Airport and Soekarno-Hatta Airport. The express train is expected to shorten the travel time from one airport to another to 30 minutes from one to three hours.
ANTARA
