All trains to be behind schedule during holidays
BANDUNG (JP): The state-owned railroad operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) confirmed on Tuesday that all trains would experience delays ahead of the triple holiday of Christmas, Idul Fitri and the New Year.
"We can be sure that all trains will be delayed. But, passengers do not need to rush because the most important thing for them is to reach their hometowns," PT KAI spokesman Gatot Wibowo said.
The delays are likely to happen due to additional cars in each train and the fact that each economy class train will stop at every destination point.
"Each year, economy trains are designed to stop at every designated station to drop off passengers. Every time a train stops, it requires between two minutes and 20 minutes."
"So, if we add up the time.. it is a foregone conclusion that the train will arrive late and this will also affect the other trains' schedules," Gatot said.
He also said that in a bid to anticipate possible landslides and floods during this rainy season, a total of 222 detour scenarios had been prepared just in case.
Gatot said graphics and charts had been prepared of these detours so that departure delays could be avoided.
"In several flood-prone areas, such as Tawang (station) in Semarang and several areas along the Cilacap to Kroya route (Central Java) and Madiun route (East Java), the train tracks have been raised by up to 70 centimeters so the train can move on even through a flood," he said.
A total of 30,000 KAI employees would be on 24-hour alert. Some 20 freight cars filled with sand, teakwood and stones have also prepared to deal with possible floods or landslides.
"Lets just hope everything goes smoothly," he added.
Ahead of the festive season, the company will also launch three new trains, namely the Taksaka II plying the Yogyakarta - Jakarta route, Argolawu II plying the Surabaya - Jakarta route and the Sembrani plying the Jakarta - Surabaya route.
PT KAI estimates that the number of rail passengers will rise by up to 108 percent compared to the previous year.
"In anticipation of a possible massive rush of passengers, the company will provide 162,361 seats per day or 30 percent more than last year, when only 121,132 seats per day were provided," he added.
Currently, there are a total of 214 train sets operating, but PT KAI will add another 14 train sets seven days prior to Christmas.
"The total of 228 train sets will consist of 1,028 cars," he said.
A discount on ticket prices will be given to those leaving in the early days of the festive season.
"We hope that passengers will leave early to avoid the explosion in passengers. A ten percent discount is available for economy class tickets from between 20 days and seven days prior to Dec. 27 and up to between eight days and 20 days after Idul Fitri," Gatot explained. (25/edt)