No air condition on Sembrani train

On April 25, 1997, I traveled on the Sembrani train from Gambir Station to Pasar Turi Station in Surabaya. It was the first time that I took a trip on this particular train. I had hoped to enjoy the trip to Surabaya, after office hours, since we left Gambir at 5:40 p.m.

However, instead of having a pleasant time, I was in for a heat wave, since the air conditioner in coach no. 52 EXA3, where I was seated, was out of order. At first, I thought the air conditioner was switched off, later, when the train was moving, I realized that it had conked out.

During the checking of passenger tickets I asked the conductor why the AC was emanating hot air. He explained that the freon channel was probably leaking and that new freon would be added in Cirebon. I then asked why they did not switch this wagon for another one and I was told that other wagons were being repaired.

Mr. A. Waluyo, the conductor, then said that all ACs in the wagons are checked out when trains are moved from one track to another.

The AC disturbance in wagon EXA-3 was discovered when they reached Gambir Station. I was then promised that if repairs could not be done in Cirebon, the wagon I was traveling in would be regarded as a business wagon and the excess payment would be refunded to passengers.

One could imagine the tortuous temperatures passengers of EXA- 3 had to endure for about three hours until Cirebon, while passengers in other wagons were enjoying the ride.

In all honesty, I could not stand the heat. I chose to stand on the connecting ledge in between two trains. It was much cooler there than in wagon EXA-3, this may be because of the AC in the next wagon.

When we arrived in Cirebon, they emptied one can of freon into the AC of our wagon. I started up a conversation with someone who could obviously not hide his disappointment. The man disclosed that it was not the first time that this happened to him. It turned out that he was a regular commuter on the train to Surabaya. In the two years that he had been traveling to and from Surabaya, the same incident occurred three times, twice on Sembrani trains and once when he took a Bima line. He was lucky that the wagons were replaced those times. This time there were no wagons to spare.

After Cirebon, the air in EXA-3 improved considerably, but it was not as cold as it was in other wagons. The passengers of EXA- 3 only briefly enjoyed the cool air. When we arrived in Lamongan the AC pumped out hot air again. No more freon...maybe because of the leak. By the time we arrived at Pasar Turi Station, our wagon was just as hot as it was when we departed from Gambir. I was glad that we had arrived!

After this incident, is the state-owned train company going to replace these problematic wagons? I am reluctant to take the Sembrani train for fear of getting a seat in one of the wagons where AC is not in working order.

I would appreciate an explanation from the train company.

ALFIAN

Jakarta