New images have been released showing the brand new trains that will be used for the long-awaited Light Rail Transit (LRT) Jabodebek railway system, which should hopefully lessen the commuting burden for residents living in Jakarta’s satellite cities.
Not to be confused with LRT Jakarta (you can read our review of the relatively new railway system here), LRT Jabodebek will connect Jakarta with satellite cities Bogor, Depok and Bekasi. Also unlike LRT Jakarta, which is a project funded by the Jakarta city administration, LRT Jabodebek was initiated and funded by the central government.
Yesterday, five LRT Jabodebek train sets, which were built by state-owned train manufacturing company PT INKA in Madiun, East Java, arrived in the capital. The driverless trains were placed on LRT Jabodebek railway lines for tests set to be carried out for the next few months.
What we know so far about LRT Jabodebek
Officials say that, as of Oct. 4, construction of the LRT Jabodebek project is 66 percent complete. The target is for the railway system to be fully operational by November 2021.
By that time, LRT Jabodebek will serve three lines: Cawang-Cibubur, Cawang-Kuningan-Dukuh Atas and Cawang-Bekasi. Plans and funding for phase two of the LRT Jabodebek project, which will connect the service to Depok and Bogor, are still being discussed. However, the government has targeted its completion for 2022.
For now, officials say that there will be a flat fare of IDR12K (US$0.85) to ride the LRT Jabodebek.
