PT KAI demands double-track railroad

JAKARTA (JP): State-owned railway company PT KAI renewed its demand for a double-track railroad linking Jakarta and East Java to improve train services, particularly during peak seasons.

A spokesman for the company, Zaenal Abidin, said on Thursday a double-track railroad was the best option to cope with the huge backlog of passengers seen recently.

"It is about time for the government to realize the double- track railway project linking Jakarta and East Java," Zaenal told The Jakarta Post.

On Wednesday, all trains traveling from East Java and Central Java to Jakarta arrived about seven hours late after a train derailed in Purwokerto, Central Java, overnight. The disruption left thousands of passengers stranded at stations.

To anticipate such problems during this peak travel season, KAI has added more cars and combined two train services into one.

Zaenal said the railway traffic appeared to gradually improve on Thursday, with trains coming from East Java arriving here about two hours late on average.

The Jayabaya Utara train plying the Surabaya to Jakarta route arrived at Gambir station at 5:30 a.m.; it was scheduled to arrive at 2:10 a.m. The Purwojaya train from Kroya, Central Java, arrived at the same station at 3:38 a.m., about two hours later than its scheduled arrival time of 1:44 a.m.

Zaenal said trains traveling from Bandung and Cirebon were no longer affected by the Purwokerto accident, and were arriving in the capital almost on time on Thursday.

"The Parahyangan train service, which usually takes three hours for the trip from Bandung to Jakarta, arrived about 30 minutes later than scheduled," Zaenal said, adding that the delay was caused by a traffic jam near Cikampek, some 65 kilometers east of here.

In Purwokerto, Central Java, no less than 15,000 passengers packed the local railroad station, fighting for seats on trains bound for Jakarta.

"We are hoping to get all of these passengers on the trains to Jakarta. Only then can we breathe a sigh of relief," Supriadi, the spokesman for the Purwokerto station, said.

Besides the influx of people returning to Jakarta from their hometowns on Thursday, there also were numerous people leaving Gambir for destinations across Java.

Hundreds of people, mostly students, were seen lining up in front of ticket counters. Some of them said they had to get back for classes this week.

"I have a class the day after tomorrow so I have to get home soon," Edo, a student at the Agricultural School in Yogyakarta, said as quoted by Antara.

As always, the increase in ticket demand was accompanied by the presence of scalpers.

According to many would-be passengers at Gambir, scalpers operated freely despite the presence of the station's security officers.

A business class ticket for the Senja Utama train bound for Yogyakarta was being scalped for Rp 76,000, almost double the official price of Rp 36,000; while an executive class ticket on the Taksaka train for the same destination was going for Rp 170,000, up from the normal fare of Rp 115,000.

With officials rushing the trains through the stations to move as many passengers as quickly as possible, the cars of many trains were dirty because there was no time to clean them.

Meanwhile at the Pulogadung intercity bus station in East Jakarta, the influx of people returning to Jakarta from their hometowns reached its peak on Jan. 3, the head of the station, Nadias Sjam, said on Thursday.

Nadias told the Post the total number of passengers arriving at the station was some 71,300 on Wednesday, about a 40 percent increase from the figure the previous day and the highest since the Idul Fitri holiday on Dec. 27.

In Bandar Lampung, dozens of Jakarta Metromini minibuses were deployed to carry passengers from Lampung to Jakarta.

The minibuses -- among them some that usually ply the Tanah Abang-Pasar Minggu route -- traveled to Bandar Lampung without any passengers, and then proceeded to pick up people at bus stations in the city. Passengers had to struggle to get onto the minibuses, which took them directly to Jakarta.

"I'm very happy to get a bus that goes directly to Jakarta without having to change vehicles or line up first ... It's quite comforting," a passenger said.

Passengers were charged between Rp 40,000 and Rp 55,000 for the trip.

"It's a bit much but we can get to Jakarta without any delays or having to line up for tickets," the passenger said. (04/45/edt)