Jakarta. Commuters heading east from the Kelapa Gading area in North Jakarta can now save up on expenses as the first phase of the Jakarta Light Rail Transit will begin a free public trial run starting Tuesday.

Phase I of the Jakarta LRT runs from Kelapa Gading in North Jakarta to the Jakarta International Velodrome in Rawamangun, East Jakarta. It will take approximately 13 to 15 minutes to travel from one end to the other.

The six stations along the 5.8-kilometer track are Pegangsaan Dua (the main depot in Kelapa Gading), North Boulevard, South Boulevard, Pulomas, Equestrian and the Velodrome. 

All stations except Pegangsaan Dua will be accessible to the public every day starting from 5.30 a.m. to 11 p.m. during the trial run.

There are two cars on a single LRT train, which can carry up to 270 passengers at a time. Trains will arrive every 10 minutes.

Passengers are required to register online at https://www.lrtjakarta.co.id/uji-publik.html for the trial run. They will receive an e-ticket via email which they would need to exchange for a single-trip ticket at their departing station.

"During the public trial run, passengers are encouraged to maintain cleanliness, queue in an orderly fashion, vacate priority seats for persons with disabilities, pregnant women and the elderly, refrain from eating and drinking inside the train, playing music out loud, talking loudly or conduct political campaigns of any form inside the train or station," Jakarta LRT spokeswoman Melisa Suciati said in a statement on Sunday.

The project was supposed to be one of the main transport modes for athletes during the Asian Games in Jakarta last year, but technical problems forced operator and the local government to shelve the plan.

The LRT fare has been set at a flat rate of Rp 5,000 (35 US cents). Jakarta LRT is still waiting for the provincial administration to announce when it can start commercial operations.

It was scheduled to begin operating by the end of last month but the date has once again been postponed as the Jakarta administration still needs more time to clear the paperwork. 

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