People leave Jakarta for Christmas

Leo Wahyudi S, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Senen railway station in Central Jakarta was crowded on Wednesday even though Idul Fitri was two days ago. Some were leaving the city while others were queuing for tickets for trains departing over the next seven days.

Not all of them were late holiday revelers.

"I am going home to Surabaya on Dec. 23 for Christmas," said one woman.

Most people in the queues planned to travel to their hometowns for Christmas and New Year, according to Sugeng, an official of PT Kereta Api Indonesia railway company.

On regular days, an average of 12 trains depart from Senen railway station daily.

By 9:20 a.m. on Wednesday, six trains had left with 3,741 passengers, while on Tuesday 12,991 passengers embarked at the station.

As for incoming passengers, 5,147 people disembarked at the station from nine trains on Tuesday. Data at 12:30 p.m. showed that 5,742 passengers had arrived on 12 trains on Wednesday. The number excluded those disembarking at Jatinegara and Bekasi railway stations.

At Pulo Gadung and Kampung Rambutan bus terminals, both in East Jakarta, did not see any significant increase in the number of arrivals.

By 2 p.m. on Wednesday, 3,124 passengers had arrived at Pulo Gadung on 89 buses while 2,343 passengers departed on 115 buses.

On the first day after Idul Fitri on Tuesday, a total of 8,612 people departed on 290 buses and 23,853 people arrived on 555 buses in the terminal.

Kampung Rambutan bus terminal recorded the arrival of 674 buses with 18,130 passengers on Tuesday, and the departure of 564 buses with 15,458 passengers.

An official at the terminal, Suhardi, predicted that the influx of people returning to Jakarta after celebrating Idul Fitri in their hometowns would peak on Dec. 24 and Dec. 25.

The City Transportation Agency recorded more than 1.1 million people leaving town in the Idul Fitri exodus during the period from Dec. 9 to Tuesday.