Electric trams continued to be used, even after Indonesia became independent in 1945 until the early 1960s. It was during these years that the historic electric tram tracks became buried under the streets of Jakarta after the Jakarta administration halted its operations.
At that time, there were many protests against the use of the tram. One of them is because it is prone to causing accidents, especially in the midst of increasing traffic. The trams were operated by Perum PPD, a former Dutch company which was nationalized after Indonesia’s independence. PPD and the Government of Jakarta agreed to abolish the trams and replace them with buses.
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However, after the tram stopped operating, the rails became idle. Because relocating it would cost a lot of money, the tram track was buried. At that time, Jakarta was deliberately raising the road level to welcome an international sporting event.
“The route was not dismantled to save costs. Instead, it was covered with asphalt,” said Lisa. (rr)