Jakarta. A local investor has expressed their intent to take part in the government’s plan to set up feeder trains for the Jabodebek light rail transit (LRT), according to the Transportation Ministry. 

Indonesia already has an LRT system that connects Indonesia’s major cities: Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, and Bekasi -- better known by their acronym Jabodebek. Plans are underway to have feeders that connect the Harjamukti LRT station in Cibubur with Mekarsari to provide better access for the commuters. A feeder is a smaller train that takes people to a larger mode of transportation for further journey.

“A local investor has submitted their letter of intent [LoI] regarding the Cibubur-Mekarsari feeder for the Jabodebek LRT. The studies are currently underway,” Arif Anwar, the director for rail transport at the Transportation Ministry, said on Monday.

Arif did not disclose the identity of the local investor. However, the assessment results will determine the scheme on how the investor would work on the project, namely through a public-private partnership or a concession scheme. Senior government official Allan Tandiono not long ago revealed that the feeder project -- be it for the LRT or mass rapid transit (MRT) -- had attracted the attention of foreign investors. The MRT feeder will focus on connecting South Jakarta’s Lebak Bulus and South Tangerang. 

“We have done an investor gathering for the MRT and LRT feeder projects in May. Some of the interested investors came from Europe, China, or even Indonesia. We are still waiting for their feasibility studies,” Allan said back in July.

According to past media reports, Indonesia was mulling having “skytrains” as the Jabodebek LRT and MRT feeders, although the plan would also depend on the detail engineering design, which was still ongoing as of early June. By skytrains, the cars would not run on cables, but would be pulled by a rail-based system. The government said it would take affordability and land availability into account when selecting the type of feeders.

Domestic investors still made up the lion’s share of Indonesia’s investment inflows. They invested around Rp 510.3 trillion ($31.1 billion) in the first half of 2025, representing about 54.1 percent of the total investments for that period.