REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The government plans to open initial tender for the construction of a track for express airport train between Jakarta's two airports in April this year.

"We are preparing for the procurement of the consultancy service to hold the qualification tender of bidders," Traffic and Railway Transport Director of the Transport Ministry Hanggoro Budi Wiryawan said here on Monday.

Feasibility study was already wrapped up in December 2013 on the project to build railway track between the Halim Perdanakusuma and Soekarno Hatta airports, Hanggoro said.

He said, the initial plan was between Manggarai station in South Jakarta and Soekarno-Hatta airport, which has failed in implementation after delay several times.

"Later, there was potential demand for extension of the tract to the northern side of the Cikampek toll road around 1 kilometers from the Halim airport," he said.

Therefore, construction would start from Halim area under a government-private cooperation scheme, he said.

The announcement came after the opening of Halim Perdanakusuma, for commercial flight as from January, 2014.

Previously the airport served only as an air force base and for non commercial flights for the government or state guests.

Part of the Indonesian airlines will move their bases to Halim Perdanakusuma to ease congestion in Soekarno Hatta airport.

The railway route to be built will start from Halim via Cawang, Manggarai, Tanah Abang, Sudirman, Pluit, to Terminals 2 and 3 of the Soekarno-Hatta internaitonal airport.

"The route has been approved by the transport minister with a regulation issued in December, 2013," Hanggoro said.

The next phase is analysis of environmental impact to be followed with land development, he said.

He said part of the rail track from Halim to MT Haryono would be underground and from Cawang to Sheraton would be elevated and the rest until the Soekarno Hatta airport would be underground.

If the Express Train has been in operation it would take only 30 minutes by car to cover the distance between the two airport from around 1 to 3 hours at present by cars.

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