Delivering Jakarta’s first metro system

Every day, more than 2.5M commuters travel in and out of central Jakarta. Most trips originate in Jabodetabek, or Greater Jakarta. The journey is far from easy. Congestion is common and during peak hours journey times can easily double.

By global standards, levels of private vehicle ownership in Jakarta are high, while use of public transport is low, making it the world’s seventh most congested city. It’s a drain on the capital’s economy, robs Jakartans of valuable private time and reduces air quality. Unveiled in March 2019, the mass rapid transit (MRT) system has made commuting far more pleasurable for many travelling into the city from the south.

It is 16km from Lebak Bulus in the south to Indonesia Hotel Roundabout in the heart of the city, regularly a two-hour journey by road. It takes just 30 minutes on the MRT.

The MRT is also good for the economy, connecting a cluster of emerging southern companies with the central districts of Sudirman and Thamrin, where Jakarta’s financial businesses are based.

Building for the future

Transit oriented development (TOD) was a key objective for stakeholders when planning the MRT and ensured the social, residential and economic development of the communities living within the transit corridor were considered.

Senayan, Istora, Bendungan Hilir, Setiabudi, Dukuh Atas and Hotel Indonesia are the country’s first underground stations. We did the detailed designs for four of these, drawing on our extensive expertise in delivering metro systems around the world. Our engineers took great care to find the most suitable locations for the stations and their sleek, modern design seamlessly integrates into the existing urban environment.

A priority for the Indonesian authorities was ensuring the MRT is resilient to threats posed by climate change and natural disasters. Jakarta is facing a number of unique challenges in the years to come, from the threat of earthquakes to its rapid sinking, which is twice the global average for coastal megacities.

We helped the developer to account for present and future risks. The infrastructure has been designed to withstand earthquakes measuring up to 8.0 on the Richter scale, while data on flooding from the past 200 years informed the design of flood protection measures.

Preparations are now under way for the network’s second phase, which is expected to reach Jakarta’s northern suburbs by 2024.

Changing the mindset of millions of city dwellers accustomed to travel by private vehicle cannot happen overnight. However, the MRT is a revolutionary first step in bringing a public transport system to Jakarta and a testament to the city’s readiness for change.