Rangkas Jaya offers pleasant train trip home

Tifa Asrianti ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Wed, 07/02/2008 10:52 AM  |  City

"Dear passengers, the Rangkas Jaya train heading for Rangkasbitung will soon depart from platform six. Passengers with tickets can board the train."

The last call for Rangkas Jaya passengers announced at Tanah Abang station Wednesday urged 62-year-old Wandi to rush to the platform. He stumbled on the station's slippery stairs but just made it as the orange and blue striped train slowly moved on its tracks.

He moved swiftly among the crowded aisle and found an empty seat in the sixth of the eight cars.

Wandi is just one of around 1,000 passengers that commute between Tanah Abang and Rangkasbitung every day.

Passengers from Jakarta pack a Rangkas Jaya train heading to Rangkasbitung, West Java. (JP/Tifa Asrianti)

"Luckily I can sit. It's difficult to find empty seats in the last cars," he said.

Each car in Rangkas Jaya has two rows of seats separated by an aisle. One row has three seats across and the other row has two-seats.

Wandi, who works at a paper shop in Matraman, East Jakarta, and lives in Tigaraksa, Tangerang, finds the train the most convenient way to get to his office every day.

State railway company PT Kereta Api launched the Rangkas Jaya train in April. The train only makes one round trip every day. The morning ride is at 6:20 a.m. departing from Rangkasbitung station, and the afternoon ride is at 5:00 p.m. from Tanah Abang station.

"I always take this train because it usually has fewer passengers than other economy-class trains. No vendors come in and try to sell me things. I can sleep peacefully during the ride," Wandi said.

DINNER TIME: Passengers enjoy their meals while heading to Rangkasbitung on Wednesday afternoon. (JP/Tifa Asrianti)

Passengers do not have the luxury of an air-conditioner, but they can enjoy a quiet ride as vendors are forbidden from boarding the train. Hungry passengers can buy food from the restaurant car or food carried by train officers.

Agus, 45, travels from Bogor to Salemba, Central Jakarta, for work. He said he always took Rangkas Jaya as it ran faster than other economy-class trains.

He said the train helped him reach his office on time without having to spend much time on the road. He said the morning ride train would reach Tanah Abang at 07:30, just in time for an 8 a.m. start.

"The economy-class train, which costs Rp 2,000 to take, stops at every station and the trip takes around two hours. I don't mind the ticket price because I need the service," he said, referring to the Rp 4,000 Rangkas Jaya ticket.

Of the 18 stations the train passes, it stops at six: Tanah Abang, Kebayoran, Serpong, Parungpanjang, Tigaraksa and Rangkasbitung, so it only takes an hour to reach the end of the line.

Passengers who need to stop at the stations in between can change trains without having to buy a new ticket.

When the train stopped at Kebayoran that day, a group of passengers boarded with huge bags.

"They are laborers. They usually go home once a week," Wandi said.

Wandi said another reason he liked the train was the lack of cigarette smoke.

"Smoking is forbidden on this train. Most passengers stand by the doors to smoke, so they don't disturb other passengers. That's good because I can't stand smoke," he said.

Agus said he preferred to live outside the city, despite having a house in Petamburan, West Jakarta.

"Living in Jakarta's outskirts is stress-free because the quality of air and water are better and low living costs enable me to save money," he said.

Both Wandi and Agus said they left their motorcycles at the station before going to work and would take them home at the end of the day.

"We only have to pay Rp 2,000 for parking. It's pretty low compared to taking other forms of public transportation," Wandi said.

The afternoon train is always full of commuters who live in the city's south. Meanwhile, an officer checks passengers' tickets on the train. (JP/Tifa Asrianti)

Several ticket officers inspected tickets in the sixth car that day. Mamat Surahmat, one of the officers, said they had found three passengers without proper tickets during the check.

"Anyone without a valid ticket must pay double the ticket price. We don't accept any excuses," he said.

Mamat said when the service was set up, officers found many passengers without tickets. After a few weeks, he said, the number decreased.

"We hope more passengers will gain a better understanding of the ticket system," he said.

 

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