Red Line Commuters Complain After INKA-Built KRLs Suffer Yet More Problems
Electric commuter train (KRL) sets on the Red Line, manufactured by state-owned PT Industri Kereta Api (Persero), or INKA, have encountered problems again, prompting complaints from commuters.
KAI Commuter said seven Red Line services, also known as the Bogor route, were cancelled on Monday morning (19 October 2026). The cancellations were made because the trains needed maintenance.
“We apologise for the inconvenience. As maintenance is being carried out on trains currently under the care of our staff, KAI Commuter is adjusting its service pattern,” the operator said on its X account on Monday (19 October).
Other Commuter Line services were unaffected and operated normally. KAI Commuter urged passengers to follow staff instructions and guidance.
“We urge customers to follow directions and information from staff on the ground, and to adjust their journeys by checking Commuter Line schedules on the C-Access app, Access by KAI, or the website https://kci.id. Information will be updated as the situation develops,” it said.
The following KAI Commuter Red Line services were affected:
Train 1157 (Bogor–Jakarta Kota), scheduled to depart at 04:03 WIB, was cancelled.
Train 1124F (Depok–Bogor), scheduled to depart at 05:33 WIB, was cancelled.
Train 1154 (Jakarta Kota–Bogor), scheduled to depart at 05:36 WIB, was cancelled.
Train 1195F (Cilebut–Jakarta Kota), scheduled to depart at 06:22 WIB, was cancelled.
Train 1013A (Bogor–Manggarai), scheduled to depart at 07:16 WIB, was cancelled.
Train 1192F (Jakarta Kota–Depok), scheduled to depart at 07:48 WIB, was cancelled.
Train 1014 (Manggarai–Bogor), scheduled to depart at 08:37 WIB, was cancelled.
Commuters say they had to stand on tiptoe aboard packed trains
The service cancellations prompted a string of complaints from commuters. One passenger, Choirunisa, described being caught in crowds while queuing to board a KRL on Monday morning.
Choirunisa said she arrived at Depok Baru station at 06:30, by which time the platform was already full of commuters waiting for trains.
She said the trains arriving at Depok station were already packed, allowing only about three to five people to board through each door. She finally managed to get on the sixth train that arrived.
“Usually, it isn’t this bad at half past six. It was about three times as crowded: of the hundreds of people waiting on the platform, only three to five could board through each train door. I only got on the sixth train,” Choirunisa said when contacted on Monday (19 October).
She travelled in the women-only carriage that morning. Some passengers inside struggled to get off at their stations because the crowd left no room to move.
“Getting on is always a scramble, but in the carriage I was in, some people asked others to move so they could get off. There was absolutely no room to move, so people just laughed at how packed it was,” she said.
She said the Bogor-route trains were exceptionally crowded that morning, even beyond what commuters describe as ‘packed like sardines’. She said she had to stand on tiptoe and struggled to keep her feet on the floor.
“It wasn’t just packed like sardines; my feet genuinely couldn’t touch the floor. I arrived at half past six and only got on just before half past seven,” she said.
The crush began to ease when passengers got off at Pasar Minggu station. Choirunisa said she was already exhausted by the time she reached work.
“‘I hate Mondays’ means arriving at the office already exhausted because so many Red Line Commuter Line services were cancelled. I couldn’t move, and my toes had to undergo military training as I stood on tiptoe from Depok Baru to Tebet,” she wrote on her Threads account, @choirunisanurr.
Commuters complain of longer waits for trains
Another KRL passenger, Sabrina, 25, also voiced her concerns. She said she had to wait about 20 minutes at Bojong Gede station before boarding a train to Tebet station, as the trains arriving were extremely crowded.
“It seemed more crowded than usual today. I normally wait for only about 10 minutes at most, but this time I waited around 20 minutes,” Sabrina said at Tebet station on Monday (19 October).
She said the trains were also more crowded than usual, leaving her unable to move inside the carriage.
“It was really, really crowded. There was a crush, and we couldn’t move at all. I was in the women’s carriage, the first one, and we couldn’t move,” she said.
Another passenger, 17-year-old Zulfa, also said the Red Line was more crowded than usual that day. Some people waiting on the platform were unable to board.
“This morning it was incredibly crowded, and some people couldn’t get on. Usually, people can sometimes manage to squeeze aboard,” Zulfa said.
Zulfa called for KRL schedules to be managed better and said cancellations should not take place during peak hours.
“If there are cancellations, perhaps the scheduling could be made more specific. It’s unfair to people who use the KRL every day and usually leave at a particular time, only to suddenly be delayed getting to work,” she said.