T

he Jakarta administration is asking citizens to brace for worsening rush hour traffic over the next month as a result of a reduction in the number of commuter train trips to allow ongoing track work.

Jakarta Transportation Agency head Udar Pristono said that fewer commuter train trips plying the Jakarta-Bogor route were forecast to increase automobile traffic in and out of the city in the mornings and evenings.

“We are predicting that train passengers will use their private vehicles for their daily commutes,” Pristono said.

The Indonesia Transportation Society (MTI) says an average of more than 37 million trips are made daily in Jakarta. More than 56 percent of those are by private vehicle.

Pristono called on commuters to use other means of public transportation instead of private vehicles.

“They can take the interprovince buses to come to the city, and while in the city they can use regular buses or the Transjakarta Busway,” he said.

State railway operator PT KAI has decided to drop a total of 29 trips plying the Jakarta-Bogor route out of the total 176 trips to allow necessary track work to last from Wednesday until Nov. 29.

Around 30,000 passengers will likely be affected by the decision.

The company said it would provide 15 air-conditioned buses to assist in transporting the Jakarta-Bogor commuters.

However, Bogor station head Rochman said there were currently only seven buses available, including three of the buses serving as shuttle buses from Gambir station to the Sudirman business area in Central Jakarta.

Commuters wanting to use the buses must pay Rp 10,000 (US$1.13), which is slightly more than the Jakarta-Bogor electric air-conditioned commuter train tickets of Rp 7,000.

PT KAI is upgrading three electrical substations along the line, Citayam, Cilebut and Kedung Badak.

The three substations provide up to 11,000 kilowatts of electricity, with Citayam and Cilebut providing 4,000 kilowatts and the rest coming from Kedung Badak.

The substations are between 14 and 23 years old.

The company is upgrading a total of six electrical stations this year, aiming to increase the power capacity for the Greater Jakarta area from its current total of 105,500 kilowatts to 127,500 kilowatts.

Hendri Anom, operational director of KAI’s Jakarta commuter train branch, said that larger electricity capacity would result in more train trips.

“Currently there are 192 daily commuter train trips. With greater electrical capacity, we will be able to add 32 more,” Hendri said.

In July, train passengers were confused when KAI kicked off a trial run of its new commuter line system, which shifted schedules.

Commuter trains in Greater Jakarta currently serve 420,000 people daily.

The central government has set a target for Jakarta commuter trains to serve 1.2 million passengers daily by 2014.