May 19, 2023
JAKARTA – Batam’s rapid development grows along with its positive annual trend of investment, with the city poised to add a Light Rapid Transit (LRT) system to its varied modes of transportation options.
The planned LRT project is part of Badan Pengusahaan Batam (BP Batam) development of road, port, and airport infrastructures to further boost its economy under the leadership of Muhammad Rudi.
“After the road and the port [construction] is finished, I want to prepare mass transportation in the form of LRT in Batam,” explained Rudi.
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The construction of the LRT is an effort to reduce congestion and to modernize Batam, as the construction of roads of up to five lanes, if not balanced with mass transportation, will have a negative impact on congestion in the next few years.
With a capacity of 20 to 30 people per locomotive, the Batam LRT system is planned to have three routes: Batuampar to Hang Nadim Airport, the BP Batam Headquarters in Batam Center to Sekupang, and a corridor center around the Laluan Madani Flyover that connects to Batam Center.
The investment value is estimated at Rp 16.6 trillion, or approximately US$ 1.12 billion.
To date, the project has entered the document preparation process or the project planning stage, targeted to be completed in May. The next stage involves the preparation of the tender documents, which will take approximately three months with the auction targeted to be held at the end of 2023.