Travelers pack the city once more

JAKARTA (JP): Thousands of holidaymakers returning from their hometowns after an extended Idul Fitri holiday packed the city's bus terminals and railway stations yesterday.

Most of the travelers arrived at the Pulo Gadung terminal, East Jakarta, with 99,273 passengers arriving on 1,804 buses Saturday.

"Today (Sunday), the number of travelers was estimated to reach more than 100,000 people," Pulo Gadung official Sukimin, said yesterday.

From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. yesterday, 43,208 holidaymakers arrived at the Pulo Gadung terminal.

An official from the ministry of transportation, Soni, said 170,908 travelers arrived at the city's seven bus terminals Saturday, up from 170,105 people Friday and 161,539 Thursday.

The city's bus terminals reported 1,209,577 people had left the capital from Feb. 2 to Feb. 15.

The number of travelers escalated to 100,000 at railway stations Saturday.

"Previously, only about 70,000 people arrived at the stations after Idul Fitri," spokesperson of the state-owned railway company Perumka, Bambang Walujodjati, said.

He said the company had prepared extra trains in anticipation of the number of passengers heading to the city. "Most of them are expected to arrive tonight (Sunday) and tomorrow morning (today)," Bambang said. (ste)