Train service in limbo

Train service in limbo

What is the best mode of transportation for a teeming
metropolitan city the size of Greater Jakarta, with its 10
million population? With traffic gridlock becoming the norm these
days, more public buses are not the answer. More buses will only
clog the available roads, and add to the congestion.

A commuter train service, whether underground or at the
surface, could be the solution that Jakarta is searching for. Any
mass rapid transportation (MRT) system that the administration
plans to build at some stage would do well to expand on the
city's existing, albeit limited, railway network.

But for that to happen, first and foremost, we need to change
the administration's attitude toward train services. Jakarta's
existing commuter trains are in a state of permanent neglect and
are a victim of poor management. We have yet to fully exploit the
potential of commuter trains to provide an inexpensive,
efficient, fast and comfortable means of public transportation.

Instead, we see a service that is notorious for its lack of
punctuality, cleanliness and even space. At times, it also lacks
the most basic passenger safety. Riding the train in Jakarta for
many commuters who have no other option can be a nightmare, or,
worse still, even fatal.

People traveling during the morning or afternoon peak hours
count their blessings if they can find anywhere to stand. Most
have to cram themselves in, up to 12 people per square meter,
according to one official estimate. Others have to cling to the
doors or windows, or even sit on the roof, with all the hazards
that entails.

KAI, the state-railway company, which operates the commuter
trains, has been indifferent to calls for better and safer
services. Instead, we keep hearing endless excuses for its
failure to offer the public a halfway decent service.

PT KAI Greater Jakarta division puts the blame on poor
maintenance, which, in turn, is caused by the inefficiency of
maintenance crews. They are able to service only two cars every
five months, instead of three or four as required.

KAI President Umar Berto disclosed that one-third of its
almost 400 cars had been taken off the tracks because they were
too old or lacked maintenance. KAI Greater Jakarta currently
operates only 252 cars, which carry 450,000 passengers per day.

An inadequate budget is at the root of KAI's problems. The
company has been running a deficit to the tune of Rp 11 billion a
year for the last two years.

But blaming KAI alone for its deplorable services is not going
to solve the problem. The real solution must come from higher up
-- the government, and its own attitude and policies with regard
to train services.

The Jakarta administration has shown a strong bias toward road
transportation and accommodating the needs of private motorists,
with not so much attention being paid to users of public
transportation. Just take a look at the hundreds of kilometers of
inner city toll road that were built during the last two decades
and are still to be built.

In contrast, how much new additional railway track has been
laid down during these years?

Admittedly the investment required to build and operate a
commuter train service seems too prohibitive for the private
sector to handle without government subsidy. Constructing a
kilometer of railway track costs Rp 5 billion, while the cost of
purchasing and operating a train car can reach Rp 70 billion.

But we know it can be done, because most other large cities
around the world have succeeded in building and operating their
own MRTs. They are efficient, inexpensive, and, in the main,
profitable.

It can be done if the political will exists. Sadly, the idea
that a properly managed commuter train service could provide
millions of commuters in Jakarta with a much better alternative
means of transportation than the existing one has yet to find
favor with city administrators.