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tate-owned commuter train operator PT Kereta Commuter Jabodetabek (KCJ) is to begin the operation of a new train routing system in the city on Dec. 5.

Under the new “loop-line” system, commuter train routes will be reduced from 37 to six.

The six routes will connect suburbs with downtown Jakarta. Passengers from suburbs will have to alight at major stations before they can join a loop-line transporting them to downtown Jakarta.

The six main routes will connect Bogor/Depok–Manggarai–Jakarta Kota, Bogor/Depok-Tanah Abang–Pasar Senen–Jatinegara, Bekasi–Jatinegara–Manggarai–Jakarta Kota, Parung Panjang/Serpong–Tanah Abang, Tangerang–Duri and Tanjung Priok–Jakarta Kota.

The Bogor–Jatinegara route will serve as the loop line in the new system. Passengers from the suburbs heading for destinations in downtown areas will have to transit at Jatinegara and Manggarai train stations in East Jakarta, Tanah Abang station in Central Jakarta and Duri Station in West Jakarta.

PT KAI hoped that the new routing system would shorten the waiting period for passengers and eliminate the need to change to trains on different routes in the Greater Jakarta area.

KCJ corporate secretary Makmur Syaheran said a trial run of the new system would take place between Dec. 1-4.

The company expected service disruptions to take place during the trial run, Makmur said.

“We apologize to commuters for possible disruptions in service, but the new system will actually improve it,” Makmur told reporters in Central Jakarta.

The loop-line is to be part of the KCJ plan for a single operating system. Last July, KCJ dropped its express train service, with all trains now stopping at every station to cater for more passengers.

KCJ director of operations Hendri Anom said that the rerouting policy could boost the number of passengers served every day.

“We are expecting an increase of 10 percent with the new system,” Hendri said.

KCJ, a subsidiary of state train operator PT KAI, currently operates a total of 386 coaches, serving more than 400,000 passengers per day. KCJ will add a total of 218 more cars to its fleet by the end of the year.

The central government had targeted for Jakarta commuter trains to serve 1.2 million passengers daily by 2014.

PT KAI said that the target was too high and revised it to 1.2 million passengers by 2019.

That number is a fraction of the total 20.7 million commuters going to and from Jakarta every day. KCJ and the Jakarta Transportation Agency plan to integrate train stations with Transjakarta’s Bus Rapid Transit shelters.

— JP/Andreas D. Arditya