PT KAI demands double-track railroad
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)