Train tickets 90 percent sold

BANDUNG: Ninety percent of tickets for business and executive trains heading to cities in Central and East Java in the last days before the Idul Fitri holiday had been sold 10 days ahead of the celebration day on Nov. 3, an official said on Monday.

Spokesman for train company PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) in Bandung, Sukendar, said would-be travelers had been lining up for tickets since the first day of the fasting month of Ramadhan.

For economy trains, he said, tickets would be sold at departure time.

"Most of the travellers go to Surabaya and Yogyakarta. We predict their numbers will increase by 2 percent compared to last year," he told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

Every day, five business and executive trains leave from Bandung Station, while three economy trains depart from Kiaracondong Station.

The company had added one business and executive train; the Lodaya leaving at 8:05 p.m.; and two economy trains: the Pasundan train leaving at 9 a.m. and Kutojaya train at 9:30 p.m.; starting on Oct. 27 to ensure all people could celebrate the day in their hometowns. -- JP