PT KAI demands double-track railroad<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): State-owned railway company PT KAI renewed its
\ndemand for a double-track railroad linking Jakarta and East Java
\nto improve train services, particularly during peak seasons.<\/p>\n
A spokesman for the company, Zaenal Abidin, said on Thursday a
\ndouble-track railroad was the best option to cope with the huge
\nbacklog of passengers seen recently.<\/p>\n
\"It is about time for the government to realize the double-
\ntrack railway project linking Jakarta and East Java,\" Zaenal told
\nThe Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, all trains traveling from East Java and Central
\nJava to Jakarta arrived about seven hours late after a train
\nderailed in Purwokerto, Central Java, overnight. The disruption
\nleft thousands of passengers stranded at stations.<\/p>\n
To anticipate such problems during this peak travel season,
\nKAI has added more cars and combined two train services into one.<\/p>\n
Zaenal said the railway traffic appeared to gradually improve
\non Thursday, with trains coming from East Java arriving here
\nabout two hours late on average.<\/p>\n
The Jayabaya Utara train plying the Surabaya to Jakarta route
\narrived at Gambir station at 5:30 a.m.; it was scheduled to
\narrive at 2:10 a.m. The Purwojaya train from Kroya, Central Java,
\narrived at the same station at 3:38 a.m., about two hours later
\nthan its scheduled arrival time of 1:44 a.m.<\/p>\n
Zaenal said trains traveling from Bandung and Cirebon were no
\nlonger affected by the Purwokerto accident, and were arriving in
\nthe capital almost on time on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\"The Parahyangan train service, which usually takes three
\nhours for the trip from Bandung to Jakarta, arrived about 30
\nminutes later than scheduled,\" Zaenal said, adding that the delay
\nwas caused by a traffic jam near Cikampek, some 65 kilometers
\neast of here.<\/p>\n
In Purwokerto, Central Java, no less than 15,000 passengers
\npacked the local railroad station, fighting for seats on trains
\nbound for Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"We are hoping to get all of these passengers on the trains to
\nJakarta. Only then can we breathe a sigh of relief,\" Supriadi,
\nthe spokesman for the Purwokerto station, said.<\/p>\n
Besides the influx of people returning to Jakarta from their
\nhometowns on Thursday, there also were numerous people leaving
\nGambir for destinations across Java.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of people, mostly students, were seen lining up in
\nfront of ticket counters. Some of them said they had to get back
\nfor classes this week.<\/p>\n
\"I have a class the day after tomorrow so I have to get home
\nsoon,\" Edo, a student at the Agricultural School in Yogyakarta,
\nsaid as quoted by Antara.<\/p>\n
As always, the increase in ticket demand was accompanied by
\nthe presence of scalpers.<\/p>\n
According to many would-be passengers at Gambir, scalpers
\noperated freely despite the presence of the station's security
\nofficers.<\/p>\n
A business class ticket for the Senja Utama train bound for
\nYogyakarta was being scalped for Rp 76,000, almost double the
\nofficial price of Rp 36,000; while an executive class ticket on
\nthe Taksaka train for the same destination was going for Rp
\n170,000, up from the normal fare of Rp 115,000.<\/p>\n
With officials rushing the trains through the stations to move
\nas many passengers as quickly as possible, the cars of many
\ntrains were dirty because there was no time to clean them.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile at the Pulogadung intercity bus station in East
\nJakarta, the influx of people returning to Jakarta from their
\nhometowns reached its peak on Jan. 3, the head of the station,
\nNadias Sjam, said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Nadias told the Post the total number of passengers arriving
\nat the station was some 71,300 on Wednesday, about a 40 percent
\nincrease from the figure the previous day and the highest since
\nthe Idul Fitri holiday on Dec. 27.<\/p>\n
In Bandar Lampung, dozens of Jakarta Metromini minibuses were
\ndeployed to carry passengers from Lampung to Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The minibuses -- among them some that usually ply the Tanah
\nAbang-Pasar Minggu route -- traveled to Bandar Lampung without
\nany passengers, and then proceeded to pick up people at bus
\nstations in the city. Passengers had to struggle to get onto the
\nminibuses, which took them directly to Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"I'm very happy to get a bus that goes directly to Jakarta
\nwithout having to change vehicles or line up first ... It's quite
\ncomforting,\" a passenger said.<\/p>\n
Passengers were charged between Rp 40,000 and Rp 55,000 for
\nthe trip.<\/p>\n
\"It's a bit much but we can get to Jakarta without any delays
\nor having to line up for tickets,\" the passenger said.
\n(04\/45\/edt)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pt-kai-demands-double-track-railroad-1447893297",
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