KRD car to serve Jakarta to Bandung route in 2002
KRD car to serve Jakarta to Bandung route in 2002
JAKARTA (JP): Railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) is planning to run a diesel-powered coach (KRD) on the Jakarta- Bandung route in 2002.
KAI spokesman Gatot Triwibowo said the company had observed that the KRD, which serves routes in the Greater Jakarta area only, could also serve longer routes.
"Company executives went on a return trip aboard the KRD from Jakarta to Banyuwangi, East Java, and there were no problems during the trip.
"Therefore, we have requested that PT Inka study the feasibility of the plan," he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
PT Inka is a train producer affiliated with KAI.
"If PT Inka determines that it can produce these trains to meet our plan, then the trains will be available to serve the public by 2002," Gatot said.
"The KRD will complement the current train serving the Jakarta-Bandung route, namely the KA Parahyangan," he said.
KA Parahyangan is operated by a diesel-powered locomotive that is able to pull some 12 to 13 cars. The KRD has a diesel engine in each car and does not need a locomotive to pull them.
Gatot said the KRD offers a greater loading capacity as it does not need a locomotive or electric-powered car, which is used to provide energy for the diesel engine.
"With the KRD, we can replace the locomotive and electric- powered cars with passenger cars, allowing for more passengers to board.
"From our studies, we can increase the loading capacity by 200 passengers for each train," he said.
Gatot also said the KRD offered simpler operational procedures than a regular train.
"The crews do not need to shift the locomotive train from one track to another since the KRD is able to run in any direction," he said.
The train's flexibility will also minimize the time needed by the crews to prepare it, he said.
"If they need half an hour to prepare the train with the old system, they might only need five minutes for the KRD," he said.
The spokesman, however, said the company had yet to decide on the number of trains to be used for the route.
"That is still being studied. We have yet to work out how much to invest in the plan," he said.
"But we have included the possibility of the KRD in our business plan for 2002."
Separately, the spokesman for the Jakarta operation of KAI, Zainal Abidin, said on Tuesday that the company would operate 10 additional cars in economy class to meet the demand for travel during the religious festivities this year.
"The cars, which we call K3 Plus, will serve passengers during and after Christmas and Idul Fitri festivities.
"The cars are called 'plus' because they will also be equipped with chairs for the handicapped and pregnant women," he told the Post.
This year's Idul Fitri will fall on Dec. 27. (asa)