A long way to go to get a hassle-free train trip

Although restrictions on vendors and street performers in train stations and on trains themselves were issued a week ago, it was “business as usual” in Cawang station, East Jakarta, on Tuesday.

The station is a lot like a market where hundreds of people come and go for different purposes every day. Most of the commuters from Depok and Bogor in the southern area of Jakarta end their trips here and continue on other transportation, including Transjakarta buses or public minivans.

Realizing that the station is a vital meeting point for train passengers, dozens of vendors come to the station to offer various delights, from fried snacks and instant drinks to colorful face masks and shoelaces.

Lenteng Agung is another station along the Jakarta–Bogor route. The station, which is near the Ragunan Zoo in South Jakarta, has a similar look to Cawang station.

As the station platforms fill up with street vendors, passengers have to compete for the few available seats while waiting for their trains to arrive.

At most of the train stops in Greater Jakarta, vendors occupy platforms that are intended for paying train passengers. The platforms are also filled with cigarette smoke, even though the railway authorities have clearly stated that platforms are no-smoking areas.

In a bid to improve the quality of train stations in Greater Jakarta, the commuter line operator PT KAI Commuter Jabodetabek (KCJ) has launched the trial period of its new electronic ticketing system and station management.

The trial period began on Feb. 1 with the company offering 15,000 electronic tickets, known as “commet” for commuter-line train users. The electronic ticketing system, which is adopted from Singapore’s mass rapid transport ticketing system, is expected to be fully implemented in at least 35 stations by April.

The KCJ had previously said the electronic system was expected to reduce long queues in front of ticket counters during peak periods and to clear the platforms of vendors.

But the new system is not without its critics. KRL Mania, the largest community of train commuters, said the ticketing machines were too slow, creating another queue in front of the gate.

The platforms, according to commuters, remained crammed with street vendors, and train users could still find many unguarded access points to enter the station without buying tickets.

KCJ’s corporate secretary, Makmur Syaheran, acknowledged the existing loopholes in the new ticketing system.

“We are still adjusting to the new system,” he said. “We will monitor the machines and make sure their performance improves.”

Makmur added that the stations were not yet ideal for passengers. He said the company planned to distribute information to the sellers. “We cannot force the street vendors out at a moment’s notice. We will begin by informing them that the platforms will soon be cleared,” he said.

“At the same time, we will intensify the campaign that platforms should be no-smoking zones,” he added.

To prevent train users from entering the station illegally, Makmur said his company had arranged for more officials to guard the gate. “We will also deploy several officers to several spots that are often used as illegal entry points,” he said.

KRL Mania doubts the new system will be successfully operating in April. “It seems like the KCJ is not ready to implement the new system; passengers are not sure of the company’s preparedness,” said KRL Mania spokesman Agam Fatchurrochman.

Makmur is convinced, however, that the new system should be implemented despite the challenges. “We are using this trial period to determine solutions to the problems,” he said.

The KCJ aim to double the number of available tickets to 30,000 at 51 stations for the second phase of the trial, from April to June; while the final trial period will run from June to July.

Makmur said his company expected to deliver 100,000 tickets to 63 stations by the end of July. “We hope that we can start electronic ticketing for all commuter train routes from July,” he said. (lfr)