Next stop is -- nowhere

Next stop is -- nowhere

"I'm going to lose my job. I won't have any money," Eti, 24,
said nervously. She checked her watch every five minutes. The
clock was ticking. Ten minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 40
minutes ....

It was 11:40 a.m. She had been standing there for 40 minutes,
waiting for a train at the Bojonggede railway station in West
Java. Still, the commuter train to Jakarta did not come.

Another woman muttered because the delay was also costing her
money. She had to buy her wailing son a drink and some candy. The
scorching sun was a blessing for the ice vendors.

Eti said this would be the third time this week she was late
to work, each time the result of the lack of professionalism of
state-run railway company PT KAI.

Her boss is very strict and hates to hear excuses. He thinks
being late is simply the result of a lack of discipline.

Eti's office is not far from the Cawang railway station, so it
is easy for her to figure out how long it should take her to get
to work, if the train comes on schedule.

It usually takes about an hour to get from the Bojonggede
railway station to the Cawang station in East Jakarta. So she
used to leave home at 10:30 a.m. to catch the 11 a.m. train.

However, the amateurish work of PT KAI means she is often left
standing on the platform waiting for the train, trying to figure
out how to explain once again showing up late to work.

"I don't know how to explain this to my boss," she said to an
elderly woman standing next to her.

Trains not only fail to come on time, they sometimes don't
even go where they are supposed to go. Railway officials
frequently divert trains. A train that is supposed to head for
the Kota railway station, for example, can be directed to Serpong
instead when it arrives at Manggarai station.

Manggarai is the "crossroad" for all trains operating in
Greater Jakarta.

It is easy for the officials to divert trains, but it is hard
for passengers, especially older ones, to move their baggage from
one train to another.

One day, an elderly man with a box of instant noodles in his
arms almost feel down as he tried to step onto the platform. He
was jostled by other passengers rushing to switch trains.

The poor work of PT KAI is not news to the residents of
Jakarta and nearby cities. Singer Iwan Fals in the 1980s
criticized the railway company in his song, Kereta Tiba Pukul
Berapa? (What time does the train come?).

After two decades, little has changed.

It seems that many people have tired of the bad service and
are finding other ways to commute. In January, PT KAI Greater
Jakarta said it lost Rp 125 million (US$13,441) a day on its
commuter trains traveling between Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi
and Jakarta.

It seems clear that PT KAI had better shape up if it wants to
stay in business. The company could start by purchasing air-
conditioned, clean, comfortable trains.

And the company could do something about getting the trains to
stick to a regular schedule, thus helping Eti and others like her
to keep their jobs.

Staying on schedule would also help commuters keep their lives
on track. -- Kurniawan Hari