North–South Line (Jakarta MRT)

The North–South line is a rapid transit line of the Jakarta MRT. Coloured dark red on the map, the line is currently 15.7 km (9.8 mi) long and serves 13 stations. It is the first and only operational line of the Jakarta MRT. The line is the second rail transit system to be operated in the country, after Palembang LRT.
The origins of the line and its development came in 1995, when the provincial government set up an idea to build the MRT system (subway), A giant Japanese company, Itochu, was certainly a candidate for the tender. Three months later, when then Governor of DKI Jakarta (at that time), Soerjadi Soedirdja, announced the formation of a consortium to build the system. In the same year, an international consortium was formed to prepare a feasibility study for the first line of the MRT system and the consortium was named Indonesian Japanese European Group (IJEG). The plan would have involved a 14 km route between Blok M and Jakarta Kota Station, fully built underground.
The following year, the wide and comfortable pedestrian paths in Singapore were related to the construction of subway stations and this was planned to be completed and operational in 2000. Unfortunately, in 1998, it never happened due to the 1998 riots.
The development of the first line began when then President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono designated the system as a national project. On 28 November 2006, the first loan agreement was signed with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA, then Japan Bank for International Cooperation or JBIC) for the project. The agreement included study funding and construction work funding for the first line of the system.
A total of eight contracts were awarded.
On 1 June 2013, the first three civil contracts for the 9.2 km (5.7 mi) underground section were signed. Three civil engineering contracts for the elevated section were signed in the third quarter of 2013. Construction work began in October 2013.
Tunnelling was completed on 23 February 2017, meeting the target completion date. By October 2017, the construction of both elevated and underground line sections were completed.
Ahead of its official opening, a limited public trial run was conducted from 12 March 2019 to 23 March 2019. The official opening ceremony was held on 24 March 2019 by President Joko Widodo.
A total of eight contracts were put up.
Groundbreaking for Phase 2 was initially planned to begin on 19 December 2018. However, due to land acquisition issues, it was pushed back to January 2019. On 30 January 2019, President Director of PT MRT Jakarta, William Sabandar announced that the groundbreaking ceremony is delayed again as the State Secretariat had yet to issue a land-use permit for the area near Medan Merdeka. The groundbreaking ceremony for Phase 2 was finally held on 24 March 2019 and advanced works began in June 2019 near the future Monas station.
Site works for contract CP201 were originally planned to begin in March 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was pushed back by three months to June 2020. Site works for contract CP203 began in September 2021. Site works for CP202 began in August 2022, after multiple delays in securing a bidder. Phase 2A will commence operations in 2028, and Phase 2B will follow suit four years later.
Phase 1 was funded through soft loans by the JBIC, which now has merged to JICA. The loan tenor is 30 years and a grace period of 10 years. The first payment is made 10 years after signing the agreement. Payments last up to 30 years afterward with an interest rate of 0.25% per annum.
Meanwhile, phase II is funded by a loan with a similar scheme by JICA but with a tenor of 40 years. The first payment is made 10 years after signing the agreement. The interest charged is 0.1% on the first stage of payment. This funding also includes part of the funding for phase I due to budget shortfalls, one of which is used to implement updated government regulations on preventing the impact of earthquakes. The debt payment burden is divided into 49% by the Jakarta Provincial Government and 51% by the Directorate General of Railways.
The North–South line connects the Lebak Bulus region in South Jakarta with Ancol in North Jakarta. For now, only the 15.7 km (9.8 mi) section between Lebak Bulus Station and Bundaran Hotel Indonesia Station is operational. This line serves 13 stations with 7 elevated stations and 6 underground stations. The elevated structure stretches for approximately 10 km (6.2 mi) from Lebak Bulus Station to ASEAN Station. The underground line stretches for approximately 6 km (3.7 mi) from Senayan Station to Bundaran HI Station. The transition between elevated and underground lines is located between ASEAN Station and Senayan Station. This line is planned to intersect with the East–West Line at Thamrin Station.
The stations on the north–south line are generally uniformly designed. With the exception of Blok M station, all stations have two tracks.
The stations also have a number of supporting facilities, such as free WiFi and disabled-friendly toilets. In the concourse area, there are ATMs and various retail kiosks. In addition, there is also a nursing room and a prayer room. Each station is equipped with a flood barrier, so it is ensured that all stations are flood-free.
It is also planned that each station will be connected to a transit-oriented development area. One of them is the Dukuh Atas Station, which is connected to the KRL Commuterline and Soekarno–Hatta Airport Rail Link through the Dukuh Atas TOD. In addition, there are transit-oriented areas at Istora Senayan Station, Blok M, ASEAN, Fatmawati, and Lebak Bulus. The development of the TODs can take the form of building public facilities and housing around the station, as well as improving access to other modes of transportation.
The North–South line of the Jakarta MRT uses a fleet made by the Nippon Sharyo consortium from Japan which and known as "Ratangga". The fleet consists of 16 trains, each with six carriages. Each carriage has four doors on either side, except for the first and last carriages which have driver's cabins. Work on building the trains started in 2015 and they began to be delivered to Indonesia in 2018. The trains began to fully operate in conjunction with the inauguration of the line on March 24, 2019.
An additional fourteen sets (under Contract Package CP 206) will be added to the trains for the second phase leading to Ancol.