Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) officially launched the operation of a tunnel boring machine (TBM) for the construction of Phase 2A of the MRT Jakarta project at the Bundaran HI MRT Station in Jakarta on Thursday.
"The provision of modern, convenient, and integrated transportation must be continued, especially for DKI Jakarta," he said in a statement broadcast on the official YouTube channel of the Presidential Secretariat.
Phase 2A of MRT Jakarta will connect a 6-km route from Bundaran HI to Kota Station, he added. Phase 1, which was operationalized in 2019, covered the 15.7-km Lebak Bulus-HI Roundabout route, on which 13 stations are located, he noted.
"We know that in 2019, the construction has been completed and has been operating for Phase 1 from Lebak Bulus to the HI Roundabout. And today, we will start from the HI Roundabout to Kota," the Head of State said.
Phase 2A of MRT Jakarta will pass through seven stations and cover a 6-km route, he added.
The seven stations are Thamrin, Monas, Harmoni, Sawah Besar, Mangga Besar, Glodok, and Kota, he informed.
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Meanwhile, PT MRT Jakarta President Director William Sabandar said that drilling work for Phase 2A will be carried out in two stages, with the first tunnel segment expected to reach Harmoni Station by March 2025.
"This is the first tunnel boring machine to start the MRT drilling in Phase 2A,” Sabandar added.
"The drilling of Phase 2A of the MRT Jakarta is divided into two segments, first from the HI Roundabout to Harmoni, which is planned to be completed by March 2025, and the next one will arrive in Kota in August 2027," he informed.
The TBM launch was also attended by Minister of National Development Planning (PPN)/Head of Bappenas Suharso Monoarfa; Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi; Ambassador of Japan to Indonesia Kanasugi Kenji; and Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan.
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