Airport Monorail Project Slated to Start Late Next Year

By Trimurti on 10:49 am October 12, 2013.
Category Featured, News
Tags: Banten, Banten Governor Ratu Atut Chosiyah, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport



Serang, Banten. A monorail project that will connect Serpong and Soekarno-Hatta airport — both in Banten province — is estimated to cost up to $1.4 billion, the chief investor in the project said.

As part of the effort to reduce traffic congestion, the government of Banten, via Banten Global Development, has teamed up with Petras Indonesia to establish Banten Monorel, a joint venture that will develop and operate the monorail that will span roughly 40 kilometers.

“The cost per kilometer is around $35 million,” said Kim Young Hwan, the president director of Petras Indonesia, the private investor in the project, on Thursday. Petras and Banten Global signed the memorandum of understanding for the project on Thursday.

Hwan said after the signing that Petras planned to undertake a six-month feasibility study. “The groundbreaking is slated for Aug. 17, 2014 and the construction may take three years,” he said.

The monorail will be supported by 13 stations and a maintenance depot. It was previously reported that each train on the monorail track would consist of three carriages and that it would be able to accommodate up to 600 passengers.

Husni Hasan, Banten’s regional administrative assistant for development and welfare, said he expected the development to go smoothly.

“Right now the roads from Serpong to Soekarno-Hatta are already congested. The monorail is expected to provide alternative transportation to reduce congestion,” he said.

The congestion in Serpong is also a consequence of a policy implemented by Jakarta, which bans heavy vehicles from entering its inner city toll roads.

“This ban has pushed drivers of heavy vehicles to seek alternative routes and Serpong is one of them,” Husni said.

In related news, Husni also told reporters that the project to develop a Rp 850 billion ($78 million) airport in Pandeglang, Banten, was still progressing.

Under the local government’s blueprint, the airport would occupy approximately 600 hectares of land which will include a 3,500 meter-long runway.

The Jakarta Globe