Railway goes all out for Idul Fitri exodus

Railway goes all out for Idul Fitri exodus

JAKARTA (JP): Perumka, the state railway company, yesterday announced that it will extend itself as far as possible to accommodate the surge in travelers expected during the coming Idul Fitri holiday.

Perumka President Soemino Eko Saputro told the House of Representatives that his company was adding 98,000 seats to its services between Feb. 18 and March 15.

Twenty four additional trains will be operated, bringing the total number of train services during the period to 880, or 20 percent more than normal, Soemino said.

In addition, the company will add the maximum number of extra coaches to each service, he said during a hearing with the House's Commission V, which deals with transportation.

But don't expect to travel in comfort because the coaches are likely to be crammed with passengers.

In economy class, seating will be reorganized to make the most of the space available. This way, the seating capacity of each coach can be increased by as much as 50 percent over the normal level, he said.

Business class will not be affected, Soemino said. Those traveling executive class in the Parahiyangan, Bima, Mutiara Utara and Mutiara II services will still enjoy the usual comforts.

The exodus from big cities to the villages normally starts about 10 days before Idul Fitri, which falls on March 3, and reaches its peak three days before it. The rush back to the cities begins two or three days after the holiday.

Officials in Jakarta estimate that as many as 3.1 million residents of Greater Jakarta will be leave town. Most will travel by buses which are provided largely by private operators.

PPD, the bus company owned by the Jakarta City Government, will deploy 250 extra buses during the holiday season, its president, Brig. Gen. Soedarko, told the same parliamentary hearing yesterday.

Perumka provides train services in Java.

Airlines are already reporting heavy bookings during the holiday season, not only for domestic services but also for their overseas flights.

Soemino said an average of 129,000 people per day will travel by train between Feb. 18 and March 15. During the peak days of the holiday season, the number could even reach 191,000 people.

He estimated that Perumka will have carried about 2.3 million passengers by the end of the special Idul Fitri operation. This estimate is 7.5 percent higher the number of passengers carried during the same period last year.

During the one month period, Perumka will not be accepting advance bookings. Anyone wishing to take the train must queue to buy their tickets on the day of their travel.

Perumka has also canceled all leave of absence of its employees to maximize its services to the public, Soemino said.

Perumka's cargo services will not be disrupted by the special Idul Fitri operation, he said.

Perumka currently carries about 500 tons of cargo each day.

Meanwhile in Central Java and Yogyakarta, which will bear the brunt of much of the huge movement of people, the authorities will deploy some 14,000 personnel to patrol roads and fight crime during the holiday period.

Central Java Police Chief Maj. Gen. Harimas A.S. said his force will launch a special operation codenamed Ketupat after the popular ricecake served during Idul Fitri.

The operation will focus on patrolling traffic along the north coast of Java, safeguarding public spots such as bus terminals, marketplaces, amusement centers and other public centers. (har/pwn)