JAKARTA - Jakarta's mass transit network expansion moves forward as construction on the MRT East-West Line begins in 2026.

PT MRT Jakarta’s President Director Tuhiyat said on Monday, February 9, in Jakarta at the Blok M Hub Gojek naming-rights event that construction of the East–West MRT Phase will begin in 2026, starting from Thamrin Station. He said initial work will focus on packages from Thamrin toward Senen, with a new depot planned in Rorotan, North Jakarta.

Phase 1 Stage 1 spans 24.5 kilometers, connecting Medan Satria in Bekasi to Tomang in West Jakarta, and includes a dedicated 5.4-kilometer access line to the depot facility.

The route features 21 stations (eight underground and 13 elevated) and represents the initial segment of an 84-kilometer corridor that will eventually link Cikarang to Balaraja, positioning it among Southeast Asia's longest urban rail lines.

The ambitious project carries an estimated total cost between Rp 45-50 trillion and secured critical financing through a soft loan agreement previously signed on May 13, 2024. 

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) committed 140.699 billion yen (approximately Rp 14.5 trillion) under favorable terms of 0.3 percent annual interest with a 40-year repayment period including a 10-year grace period.

Jakarta's North-South MRT line, operational since March 2019, currently serves an average of 116,465 passengers daily based on first-half 2025 data. The line runs from Hotel Indonesia in Central Jakarta to Lebak Bulus in the south near Jakarta-South Tangerang border. 

The East-West Line projects daily ridership of 284,000 upon full operation in 2031, more than double current capacity.

Elsewhere during the event, MRT Jakarta announced the formal naming-rights designation of the Blok M area as “Blok M Hub Gojek,” rebranding the station area into an integrated transit hub. 

It directly connects MRT services with GoRide and GoCar pickup zones, GoFood merchant spaces, and GoPay-based retail and MSME activity within a transit-oriented development (TOD) layout.