KAI to Upgrade Rangkasbitung KRL Line to 12-Car Trains to Improve Service

State-owned railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) is improving its KRL commuter line service on the Rangkasbitung route by upgrading supporting facilities and infrastructure to allow trains to operate with 12 carriages, up from the current 8 to 10.

“We cannot simply add more carriages automatically. We are now increasing the electrical capacity and improving the signalling,” said KAI President Director Bobby Rasyidin during a discussion with journalists aboard a tourist train travelling from Yogyakarta to Jakarta on Wednesday.

He stated that upgrading the Rangkasbitung line is a priority for the government-owned company, as it is the most congested among all KRL routes.

Bobby explained that over the next six to eight months, KAI is repairing a number of supporting facilities and infrastructure to increase the capacity of the KRL trainsets. He noted that currently, KRL trains serving Rangkasbitung can only operate with a maximum of 8 to 10 carriages, resulting in many passengers being unable to board and severe overcrowding.

“I observed that on the Rangkasbitung Line, or Green Line, there are eight people per square metre,” he said.

In addition to adding carriages, KAI is also working to shorten the waiting time between trains, which currently stands at 10 to 15 minutes. Once the upgrades are complete, the headway will be reduced so that all KRL passengers can be better accommodated. “Currently, the distance between trains is 10 to 15 minutes. We will shorten that distance. Now the trains only have 8 to 10 carriages; later, all will become 12,” he added.