Jakarta Council Backs Plan to Remove Abandoned Monorail Pillars

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung Wibowo plans to tear down abandoned monorail pillars along Jalan H.R. Rasuna Said in South Jakarta and Jalan Asia Afrika in Central Jakarta, a move supported by the Jakarta Regional People's Representative Council (DPRD).

Taufik Zoelkifli, secretary of the Prosperous Justice Party faction in the DPRD, said the pillars are clogging up traffic space and ruining the city's look. "I support clearing out those monorail pillars that mess with the city's aesthetics and traffic flow," Taufik said in a written statement on Thursday, May 22.

He added that Jakarta no longer needs the pillars since the city already has mass transit options like Transjakarta, LRT, and MRT. "If the monorail project isn't moving forward, the existing infrastructure should go back to its original purpose," he said.

Meanwhile, Dwi Rio Sambodo, secretary of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle faction in the DPRD, argued that abandoned structures like the monorail pillars should be removed if they lack economic value. "But we need to involve other stakeholders to repurpose them, so the cleanup aligns with a broader program," he said.

Rio also raised concerns about the demolition costs, suggesting the government could use some of the pillar sites to generate revenue. "Since demolition isn't cheap, certain spots could boost regional income by setting up redesigned billboards that also add greenery to the city," he explained.

Governor Pramono previously said he wants to tackle the issue of the abandoned monorail pillars, noting they're an eyesore in the capital. "For the Jakarta government, this is a real problem. We're not restarting the monorail, but what do we do with these useless pillars? Do we clear them out? Repurpose them? We need a decision on this," Pramono said in a written statement on Tuesday, May 20.

He noted the monorail project stalled due to legal disputes between contractors and other parties involved in the construction. Even though the LRT has replaced the monorail, Pramono pointed out, the old pillars still stand tall and serve no purpose.

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