Green Line KRL Anchors Complain Daily of Crowding and Long Waits

Regular users of the KRL Commuter Line on the Tanah Abang-Rangkasbitung route are complaining about the increasing crowding on the trains during busy hours on weekdays.

Based on observations by CNBC Indonesia at Tanah Abang Station and inside the Tanah Abang-Rangkasbitung KRL on Thursday (26/3/2026), the majority were passengers heading to tourist spots. However, there were some regular users of that route.

Syami, one of the regular users of the Tanah Abang-Rangkasbitung KRL who boards from Maja Station, said that today was not as crowded as usual because many people were still on holiday.

“As a regular user, I’m heading home early today; it’s still a bit empty, not as packed as usual days, and it’s not peak hour yet, but because many are on holiday, it’s tiring because I can’t sit either,” said Syami when met by CNBC Indonesia on Thursday afternoon (26/3/2026).

However, on normal days, especially during peak hours, he complained that the KRL is always full, both on workdays and during holidays. This is because the number of carriages is still only 10, while the journey from Maja to Tanah Abang takes about two hours.

“What makes it tiring is sometimes when leaving for work, I can’t sit from Maja, and the same when returning from work; I only get to sit when about to enter Maja. Because there are only 10 carriages, it gets more crowded; if I take the later train, the wait is longer,” he continued.

He hopes that the headway on that route can be tighter so that passengers do not pile up.

“Hopefully, there will be KRL with 12 carriages, and the intervals between KRLs can be shortened, so they don’t pile up, especially during busy hours,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rani, a non-regular user of the Tanah Abang-Rangkasbitung KRL who boards from Rawa Buntu Station, said the KRL was already quite full when it arrived at Rawa Buntu Station.

“It was quite full earlier; I boarded from Rawa Buntu, already full. I saw some passengers with toddlers who couldn’t sit; they said they were from Cisauk, probably because it’s so crowded,” said Rani.

When asked if she didn’t take the later KRL, Rani replied that it was still about 10 minutes away.

“I wanted to take the later one, but it’s still 10 minutes; maybe because it’s already afternoon,” she added.

She also hopes that the KRL capacity can be increased and the intervals between KRLs shortened.

“Hopefully the intervals can be 5 minutes, so they don’t pile up inside; it’s pitiful, earlier there were people with toddlers who couldn’t sit,” she said.

Meanwhile, another passenger named Aldi complained about the relatively long waiting time for the Green Line KRL. Not to mention the packed carriages. But another complaint he raised was the frequent disruptions to the Green Line KRL.

“It often stops, they say it’s an electrical issue. Then the waiting time is very long. When boarding, it’s already full,” said Aldi, who regularly takes the Green Line KRL from Kebayoran Station to Cikoya Station.

He hopes that the Green Line KRL sets can be increased.

“So hopefully, they can add more sets; it’s pitiful for the passengers squeezing in,” he complained.

Meanwhile, Firhan, a regular passenger on the Tanah Abang-Rangkasbitung KRL for the Rawa Buntu-Kebayoran trip, complained about the KRL consisting of only 10 carriages, making many other regular users unable to board. From Rawa Buntu Station, the KRL is already very crowded and starting to be difficult to enter.

“I board from Rawa Buntu, the 08:00 WIB KRL towards Tanah Abang, alighting at Kebayoran; when entering Rawa Buntu, the KRL is already full, and adding from Rawa Buntu it’s starting to get crowded,” said Firhan.

After Rawa Buntu, passengers get even more crowded because subsequent stations already have many passengers waiting to board. At Sudimara Station, many passengers couldn’t enter or board because the KRL was already very crowded.

“When arriving at Sudimara, you can’t enter anymore, let alone subsequent stations like Jurangmangu and Pondok Ranji,” he continued.

He hopes the KRL capacity can be increased by operating 12-carriage KRLs as soon as possible.

“Yes, it’s time this route is served by 12-carriage KRLs; if it’s always 10, passengers after Rawa Buntu won’t be able to board,” he explained.

Okto is the same; a regular passenger on the Tanah Abang-Rangkasbitung KRL who boards from Jurangmangu Station said the conditions on that route are no longer feasible.

“Mercy, if in the morning on workdays from Jurangmangu to Tanah Abang, it takes 2 to 3 KRLs passing by before I can board, and even then it’s still squeezing inside. Experience boarding KRL from 07:00-08:00 WIB,” said Okto.

He also hopes the KRL capacity can be increased by operating SF 12 KRLs on that route. In addition, he hopes infrastructure can be improved, such as signalling, increasing electrical power, and changing level crossings to non-level ones like flyovers or underpasses.

“Hopefully upgrade the signalling so headway can be tight like the Bogor line, then increase the electrical power, followed by operating SF12 KRL, finally build non-level crossings (flyover/underpass) at crossings with high vehicle volume,” he added.

Meanwhile, Noval, another regular user who boards from Sudimara Station, said the queue of passengers wanting to board the KRL can reach 4-5 rows during busy hours around 07:00 to 08:00 WIB. This indicates passengers can only board after three subsequent KRLs and have to wait more than 15 minutes.

“Indeed, on a normal day, especially those boarding from Sudimara, it’s squeezed and squeezing to enter. If you can’t enter, the queue on the platform can be 4-5 rows; imagine that,” said Noval.

Like other regular passengers on the Tanah Abang-Rangkasbitung KRL, he hopes the train set capacity can be increased by operating SF 12 KRLs.

“The electrical capacity”