In a couple of years, Jakarta will finally have its own intra-city train system called the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT). Despite the fact that he’ll be out of office long before the MRT is operating, temporary Jakarta Governor Soni Sumarsono (who is filling in for Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama during his mandated leave during the campaign season) has taken it upon himself to change the design of the trains.
Sumarsono recently admitted that he wasn’t a fan of the initial design of the MRT train, particularly in regards to the front end of the train.
“The face of the train looks like a cricket,” Sumarsono said yesterday, as quoted by Detik.
Sumarsono said he ordered Nippon Sharyo and Sumitomo Corporation, two Japanese contractors responsible for the design and manufacture of the MRT, to go back to the drawing board.
This is the initial design that bugged Sumarsono:
And this is the amended design, which is most likely going to be what our MRT trains will end up looking like:
While we don’t really see how the initial design resembles a cricket, we have to admit that the new design looks slightly cooler and more aerodynamic.
According to PT MRT, the changes to the design weren’t substantial so they likely won’t push back the construction of the trains, and hence the targeted completion date of the MRT. However, it may cause additional fees to be added to the project.
The Jakarta MRT is targeted to be ready for operation in March 2019.
Reader Interactions