163,000 to leave capital by rail during peak days
163,000 to leave capital by rail during peak days
JAKARTA (JP): More than 163,000 people are expected to go by train from Jakarta to their home towns in West, Central and East Java, during the peak days from yesterday to March 2, an official says.
The president of railway company Perumka, Soemino Eko Saputro told members of the House of Representatives' Commission V yesterday that 132,370 passengers left for their Idul Fitri holidays by train last year.
As many as 3.5 million people are expected to leave the capital for the Idul Fitri holidays, which fall on Feb. 20 and 21 this year. Two million people are expected to go by public bus, one million by train and 500,000 will take their car.
Perumka operates 236 locomotives for the mass exodus, Soemino said.
"The 24-hour ticket sales at the railway stations are meant to help passengers get tickets easily. We've also told industry to create a schedule for their workers, to enable for holidays by trains before the Idul Fitri days," he said. Tickets are not available at travel agents for the duration.
Night
A private company worker who wanted to go to Surabaya on Feb. 18 told The Jakarta Post that he and some 1,000 people had to spend the night at Gambir railway station in Central Jakarta on Saturday.
Most people who wanted to buy tickets for the Jayabaya and Fajar Utama trains to Surabaya and Yogyakarta arrived at the railway station at 8:00 p.m, the man said. Some of them planned to take the Argo Bromo to Surabaya.
"We tried to stay awake by chatting with each other or playing cards. Some of us fell asleep after midnight, but woke up at 3:00 a.m on Sunday. The ticket counters for Jayabaya and Fajar Utama opened at 5:00 a.m., while the Argo Bromo ticket counter opened at 8:00 a.m.," he said.
Director General of Land Transportation Soejono told reporters at Senen railway station yesterday that the passengers should not have spent the night at the railway stations for the tickets. "The government has made the train tickets available. It is up to the passengers if they want to stay up all night at the railway station," he said.
Soejono was at the railway station with the House members to attend the launching of the new trains.
According to Soejono, some people who had tickets preferred spending the night at the station to going homes. "This is an annual phenomenon," he added. (sur/04/icn/14)