Jakarta-Bekasi route not enough trains

JAKARTA (JP): The state-owned railway company, Perumka, conceded yesterday that it is unable to operate more trains on the busy Jakarta-Bekasi route.

"I have to acknowledge that we cannot meet Bekasi residents' demand for more trains," Bambang Waluyojati, a spokesman for the Perumka of Perumka city branch, told The Jakarta Post.

Many Bekasi residents who commute to Jakarta by train complained that their trains are often late and that Perumka keeps changing the schedules.

They say that Perumka practices favoritism by operating regular, dependable trains on the Jakarta-Bogor route but not on the Jakarta-Bekasi.

Tens of thousands of people from the densely populated surrounding cities go to work in Jakarta by train every working day.

Responding to the complaint, Bambang said that Perumka operates trains on the Jakarta-Bogor route more than the Jakarta- Bekasi and Jakarta-Tangerang because there are more passengers on that route.

The Perumka city office operates 30 electric trains going to the surrounding cities of Bogor, Bekasi, Tangerang and Depok every day. The trains arrive at and depart from Jakarta 300 times each day.

On the Jakarta-Bogor route, passengers can catch a train of six to eight coaches every 20 minutes. Each coach is crammed with about 120 passengers, according to Bambang.

Bambang acknowledged that the number of trains is still far from adequate.

Bambang pointed out that city trains always are overfull because they are becoming a popular means of transportation.

"You have no problem with traffic jams when you go by train. Besides, the fare is cheaper than going by bus," he said.

The fare for the Jakarta-Bogor trip by train is Rp 700 compared to Rp 1,000 by express bus.

Bambang said that his office is unable to do anything about the number of trains serving any route because the authority lies with the directorate for land transportation.

The inadequate number of trains has often forced passengers to risk their lives by riding on train roofs and jostling by the doors.

The overcrowding has often been taken advantage of by people not wanting to pay for a ticket.

"Perumka has applied a rule which requires any passengers without a ticket to pay 200 percent more than the actual fare but this has not been entirely successful (in deterring people from riding without a ticket)," he said. (29)