Jakarta’s only MRT line shuts down due to construction mishap

Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) officials inform commuters about the suspension of operations due to objects falling on the tracks from a construction site in Jakarta on May 30, 2024. A mass rapid transit line in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta was suspended on May 30 due to a construction incident along part of its elevated line, the operator said. (Photo by Yasuyoshi CHIBA / AFP)

JAKARTA, May 30, 2024 (AFP) – A mass rapid transit line in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta was suspended on Thursday due to a construction incident along part of its elevated line, the operator said.

No one was hurt due to the incident, Ahmad Pratomo, corporate secretary at operator PT MRT Jakarta, said in a statement to AFP.

“Due to an incident at a construction activity carried out at the Attorney General office’s building… affecting the train’s operation, the MRT Jakarta’s operation will be suspended temporarily,” Ahmad said.

Pictures shared by the operator showed steel bars tangled in cables in a section of the MRT’s elevated rail near a construction project.

“PT MRT Jakarta apologised for the inconvenience caused by this disruption,” Ahmad said.

Passengers were let off at the nearest stations, he said.

The Jakarta MRT — the only mass rapid transit service in the city of more than 10 million people — runs above and below ground and stretches from the centrally located Hotel Indonesia to the southern part of the capital.

The $1.1 billion line has attracted more than 100 million passengers since it was inaugurated in 2019, according to MRT Jakarta figures.

Construction to extend the current line from Hotel Indonesia to the city’s north is ongoing, while an East-West line connecting Jakarta’s satellite cities is also planned