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The train is dead, but the name lives on for the Parahyangan
Having terminated on Monday the operation of the popular Parahyangan train, which plied the Jakarta-Bandung route for almost 30 years, state rail company PT Kereta Api has renamed the route’s other and now sole remaining train the Argo-Parahyangan, from its previous name of Argo Gede
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aving terminated on Monday the operation of the popular Parahyangan train, which plied the Jakarta-Bandung route for almost 30 years, state rail company PT Kereta Api has renamed the route’s other and now sole remaining train the Argo-Parahyangan, from its previous name of Argo Gede.
The renamed train, which used to consist entirely of executive-class carriages, will swap two of those for business class carriages, a move to decrease financial losses from low passenger numbers.
The train will ply the Jakarta-Bandung route seven times a day.
Setyo Prayitno, a spokesman of PT KA’s Bandung Operational Zone II, said the Argo-Parahyangan would include 144 business-class seats on two of its six carriages to placate a large number of frequent passengers who have complained about the discontinuation of the Parahyangan.
“Passengers can still enjoy the Bandung-Jakarta train seven times a day and additional coaches will be employed on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays,” Bambang told reporters in Bandung on Tuesday.
The Parahyangan, which served passengers reliably from 1971, was officially phased out on April 26
due to a steep decline in passenger numbers.
The service has not been able to compete with buses plying the same route via the new Jakarta-Bandung turn pike, which cut travel time by car by up to two-and-a-half hours.
PT KA suffered a loss of Rp 36 billion (about US$360,000) in 2009 because it was unable to cover operational and fuel costs.
The train fares remain unchanged — a one-way business class ticket is still Rp 30,000, and an executive class ticket costs Rp 50,000 on weekdays and Rp 65,000 on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
“We hope that by offering more executive seats, we can at least cut the losses that we have suffered so far,” said Bambang.
On Monday, hundreds of loyal passengers and train enthusiasts flocked to Gambir Station in Jakarta to see the Parahyangan embark on its final journey.
