Passengers blast railway company

JAKARTA (JP): The state railway company, Perumka, has been urged to operate regular trains between the densely-populated city of Bekasi, West Java, and Jakarta.

Some Bekasi residents who go commute to Jakarta by train complained yesterday that their trains were often late and that Perumka kept changing their schedule.

They told Antara that Perumka was practicing "favoritism" by operating regular, dependable trains on the Jakarta-Bogor route but not on the Jakarta-Bekasi.

Thousands of Bekasi residents cram into electric trains to Jakarta in the morning and back to the eastern satellite city late in the afternoon.

"We want to get the same treatment from Perumka as Bogor residents," said Otniel Tamindael, a Bekasi commuter.

"We often get to work very late because the train doesn't come," said Prapti, who also commutes each day.

Bekasi is notorious for its traffic jams. (pan)