Executive class?

I am usually impressed by the executive service of the state- owned railway company (PT KAI), but on my recent trip from Yogyakarta to Bandung on the Turangga, and my return on the Argo Wilis, I was less than impressed.

As the fare back to Yogyakarta was about 10 percent more than Yogyakarta to Bandung, I expected slightly better service. However, not only was the automatic door broken, with an aging sign on the door apologizing for the control being burned out, the air-conditioner was not working well and it was a long and sweaty trip once we came out of the mountains.

As the train has only a few stops on the way, is it too much too expect that the stations be announced shortly before arrival? The station signs are cleverly placed so that passengers can briefly glimpse the name as the train enters the station, but there are few if any at window level within the station. For overseas tourists, this can be quite confusing, as there is not even a basic map within the trains showing the principal stations. Even the underground trains in most overseas cities have a map showing the stations.

When a domestic flight arrives, the airport is always announced and one knows for sure if they should get off or not.

Finally, does the overnight express to Bandung, arriving at 6:35 a.m., really have to have the speakers turned on full blast at 4 a.m., and then play jazz continuously until arrival? Even though the speaker system was obviously working so well, the destination station was not announced.

So get with it PT KAI, and see what the airlines are doing.

ADRIAN MARTIN

Perth, Western Australia