Train crews loyally serve the public on Idul Fitri

Train crews loyally serve the public on Idul Fitri

Leony Aurora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Zakir, a conductor on one of Jakarta's electric commuter trains,
has been able to spend just one Idul Fitri with his family over
the last 29 years because of his work.

"I was very happy when I had a day off on Idul Fitri last
year," he reminisced as the chant of Allahu Akbar (God is Great)
echoed from mosques the train passed on the eve of Idul Fitri on
Monday evening.

This year Zakir was back inside the locomotive for the
holiday. His night shift on Monday continued with a morning shift
the next day, meaning that he would miss the Idul Fitri prayer
once more.

"I am used to it now," he said. "Of course, I am a bit sad
that everyone can have a holiday and I can't. But this is my
responsibility."

Zakir and partner Tukino, the train driver, man the electric
commuter train that travels back and forth from Bogor to the Kota
station in downtown Jakarta.

Luckily, they both live in Bogor so they can go home after
their last trip. Other crews living in Jakarta have to spend the
night at state-owned railway company PT KAI's boarding house in
Bogor so they are ready for the 7 a.m. shift.

It is PT KAI policy that operational employees are not allowed
to take leave from two weeks before until two weeks after Idul
Fitri. During these days, each worker earns an extra Rp 5,000 (59
US cents) a day.

To provide a taste of the holiday, some of the stations
provide ketupat (steam rice wrapped in coconut leaves), opor ayam
(chicken cooked in coconut milk) and other typical Idul Fitri
food for train crews.

"Our wives and children have accepted that this is our line of
work," said Tukino. "We have to be ready to be called at anytime,
just like soldiers."

For Sutrisno, another train driver, working on the trains is
more than a job, it is a way of life.

"If I don't see the train even just for a day, I feel like
something's missing," he said.

"The train is my first wife," he said with a laugh. He started
working 19 years ago and has been married to his "second" wife
for 12 years.

His five children sometimes complain when he cannot go with
them to visit their grandparents in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta,
for Idul Fitri. He has only celebrated the holiday with his
family four times since he began driving trains.

"I feel empty when working on Idul Fitri because I'm not near
my family," he told The Jakarta Post.

Approaching the Cikini station in Central Jakarta, he added:
"Also, there is no satisfaction in transporting passengers. Most
of them have returned to their hometowns," as he pointed to the
few commuters waiting to board the train.

Jakarta's electric commuter trains are notoriously
overcrowded. Commuters normally have little room to breathe, let
alone to sit or move about the car. The situation is usually so
bad that some people prefer to ignore the danger and ride on top
of the cars.

When the Post was at the train station on Monday, however, it
observed that most passengers were able to find seats on the
cars.

Sutrisno said he would gladly pay to have someone cover his
shift so he could celebrate Idul Fitri at home.

"I will just go and visit relatives and friends next Friday,
my day off, for this year's Idul Fitri," he said.