One thing that amazes me in the world of business is the counterintuitive ability for rivals to cooperate — if the impetus is right. Nowhere is this more important than in the transport sector. There, developers of any mass rapid transport system must take the lead in collaborating with those of subsystems. Otherwise, there is a distinct possibility that sight of the overall picture is lost.
Here in Jakarta, routes, features, phases and issues of connectivity, safety and security of the planned MRT systems are gradually being released to the public. Before we discuss the specifics, it is worth mentioning that there seem to be some new initiatives.
Kereta Api Indonesia, the state railway company, will be building more narrow-gauge single direction tracks to connect their existing Tangerang Line with Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
KAI has promised that its route to the airport will be running next year and a connection from the airport to Pluit, in North Jakarta, is being planned as well.
And rumor has it that there is still some life left (at least in terms of the availability of partial funding) in both the monorail and the underground systems, though progress in these long-ago tabled initiatives has been more difficult to confirm.
Of course we already have some valuable public transportation systems in place in the capital.
These include KAI’s existing network, the TransJakarta busway and its feeder systems, not to mention the existing toll and non-toll road capacity.