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Jakarta Post

As traffic worsens, trains fail to provide the needed cure

The city’s railway operator must do more to improve services and develop its existing infrastructure to help preventing total gridlock in traffic, a discussion heard Monday

Hasyim Widhiarto (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Tue, August 11, 2009

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As traffic worsens, trains fail to provide the needed cure

T

he city’s railway operator must do more to improve services and develop its existing infrastructure to help preventing total gridlock in traffic, a discussion heard Monday.

Bambang Pujantiyo, a member of Jakarta Transportation Council, said that with more than 2 million privately owned cars in the city, it was no longer possible for Jakarta’s 6,500 kilometers of streets to accommodate the smooth flow of traffic.

“Each car measures an average 4 meters long,” he said.

“Just imagine what would happen if all 2 million cars took to the street at the same time.”

Although railway operator PT KA Commuter Jabodetabek (KCJ) currently provides electric trains for residents commuting between Jakarta and the suburbs, Bambang said this service was yet to have any significant impact on reducing traffic congestion, with many people deeming it unreliable.

“The current [commuter train] service is notorious for running late, inconvenient coaches and unexpected accidents,” he said.

“So it’s normal for people to choose to drive their own vehicles or use other public transportation.”

Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) transportation expert Harun Alrasyid Lubis concurred, adding another reason for the reticence to travel by train was the lack of “door-to-door” service.

“When people arrive at a train station, most of them have to spend more money taking other public vehicles, like ojek [motorcycle taxi] or public minivan,” he said.

Both Bambang and Harun, however, strongly agreed rail-based transportation was the solution to the city’s severe traffic problems.

“If the railway operator can make its services more punctual, reliable and safe, I’m sure more and more people will start using the service and leaving their cars at home,” Bambang said.

The city’s daytime population swells to more than 20 million on weekdays. Only 406,000 of those who commute, or less than 3 percent, travel by train.

As the number of people and vehicles in Jakarta continue to grow, the government and the city administration plan to develop a rail-based transportation system to counter the city’s severe traffic problems.

Among the projects are the 27.8-kilometer monorail project, currently in limbo due to legal and financial problems, and the 14.5-kilometer Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project, for which construction has yet to begin.

Responding to the call for an improvement in performance, KCJ technical director Bambang Adi Pratignjo said it was already his company’s priority for the next four years to increase the quality and reliability of its service, including by providing more air-conditioned trains, expanding several stations and implementing an electronic ticketing system.

However, he denied allegations the company had failed to manage its budget to expand its business, leaving train passengers queueing at packed railway stations during peak hours due to the limited number of trains.

“The train business needs a lot of investment, and we have to do it in stages,” he said.

KCJ currently manages 170 kilometers of railway lines and 56 railway stations in Greater Jakarta, which include Jakarta and its satellite cities of Bogor, Bekasi, Depok and Tangerang.

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