Economy train tickets sold out to Dec. 4<\/p>\n
Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Holidaymakers who want to make their Idul Fitri hometown journey
\nfrom Pasar Senen railway station will have to struggle for the
\nremaining limited seats as all tickets until Dec. 4 have been
\nsold out.<\/p>\n
Pasar Senen station in Central Jakarta offers seats on nine
\nbusiness class trains and eight economy class trains bound for
\ncities in Central Java and East Java with a total of 11,000 seats
\navailable daily.<\/p>\n
Business trains Fajar Utama Semarang and Senja Utama Semarang,
\nfor example, travel to Semarang for a fare of Rp 45,000 (US$5).
\nThe trains leave at 6:45 a.m. and 6:50 p.m. respectively.<\/p>\n
Economy train Tawang Jaya travels the same route but the train
\nfare costs only Rp 31,500 while another train, Kerta Jaya
\nconnects Pasar Senen with Surabaya Pasar Turi station with a fare
\nof Rp 34,000.<\/p>\n
"All tickets for business class trains until next Wednesday
\nhave been sold out. We expect Monday to Wednesday next week to be
\nthe peak in the exodus of travelers departing from this station,"
\nPasar Senen railway station master, Sugeng Setianto, told The
\nJakarta Post on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
"On Thursday, we will sell tickets for trains departing next
\nThursday. Our counters will open from 5 a.m.," he added.<\/p>\n
The situation in Pasar Senen was still quiet on Wednesday
\nwithout any sign of passengers crowding the platform. But several
\ntravelers had already taken their place to anticipate Thursday's
\nticket sales for Dec. 4.<\/p>\n
"All trains have carried less than 100 percent of their
\ncapacity so far," said Sugeng.<\/p>\n
"Business trains are allowed to carry up to 125 percent of its
\ncapacity in non-seat passengers while economy trains are
\npermitted to carry up to 150 percent."<\/p>\n
Pasar Senen railway station caters for the middle to lower
\nincome group, while the ticket reservation center on Jl. Djuanda,
\nCentral Jakarta focuses its service on passengers from the middle
\nto high income groups selling train tickets for business and
\nexecutive classes.<\/p>\n
State-owned train operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (PT KAI)
\nexpects there will be a total of 185,000 passengers departing
\nfrom Jakarta while the total seating capacity of the trains is
\nonly 170,000.<\/p>\n
The company, however, will not provide Sapujagat trains to
\ncarry excess passengers unlike in previous years.<\/p>\n
These trains were last-minute economy class trains provided by
\nthe company to bring holidaymakers to their hometown after they
\nwere unable to get tickets on the regular and additional trains.<\/p>\n
"We will just utilize our locomotives to their maximum
\ncapacity. Each locomotive can pull some 12 cars," PT KAI director
\nof operations, Juda Sitepu, told reporters on Monday.<\/p>\n
"We, however, provide 29 special Idul Fitri trains to carry
\nthe passengers. A special train will be dispatched if a regular
\ntrain cannot carry all the passengers."<\/p>\n
The company will also add the number of trips to carry more
\npassengers.<\/p>\n
"A train, traveling between Jakarta and Yogyakarta for
\nexample, would usually stop in Yogyakarta and return to Jakarta
\nthe following day.<\/p>\n
"But the train can immediately return to Jakarta, allowing the
\ntrain to carry more passengers," said Juda.<\/p>\n
He also said that the company had asked the police to deploy
\nelite Mobile Brigade officers at strategic places such as long
\nbridges.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/economy-train-tickets-sold-out-to-dec-4-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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