Public service: Passengers aboard the air-conditioned train from Serpong, Banten, to Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta in this file photo
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Railway services are often plagued by late arrivals, crowded coaches and vendors on the trains.
This list of gripes gets longer if dirty toilets and ticket scalpers, which loiter at stations, are added.
However, to address this sorry state of affairs state-owned railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) rolled out improvements over the past few years that created positive results.
Reni Rochmawati, a writer who commutes between Jakarta and her home in Depok, West Java, said all the coaches were now air-conditioned and developments had made swift headway.
She lauded the new e-ticketing system as it had made her commute easier.
'I use the multitrip card. I need only tap the card on the entry/exit gate [...] no more queuing,' she said, referring to the card that can be topped up at every station.
Fadel Arnoult shared a similar story. He explained that traveling from Jakarta to Yogyakarta by train was not only easier ' tickets could be purchased via the KAI website or at Indomaret and Alfamart stores ' but also more comfortable as KAI only sold as many tickets as there were seats.
In addition, the train also has WiFi, allowing passengers to browse the Internet.
'The service is getting better even though some areas are lacking. However, this six-hour journey is no longer a nightmare,' he said.
KAI president director Ignasius Jonan said the key factor in railroad transportation was the service and the firm was committed to delivering the best, albeit gradually.
'I am not a magician but I am trying my best to improve the service incrementally. The improvements should be KAI's legacy and should be continued in the future,' Jonan said.
He admitted that the infrastructure developments had been sluggish as a result of insufficient support from the central government.
For instance, this year the firm only received Rp 704 billion (US$61.95 million) from the state for Public Service Obligation (PSO) while the annual price tag for maintenance and operations hovered around Rp 1.7 trillion.
However, Jonan said KAI would continue with its improvements.
By the end of this year, passenger numbers are expected to hit 240 million and 28 tons of goods would have been transported.
The company aims to carry 600 million passengers and 60 tons of goods across the archipelago by the end of 2020. In order to attain this goal, from 2014 to 2020 KAI plans to replace 1,500 coaches.
'We have not decided what manufacturer will supply the new coaches. But, we need good quality coaches,' Jonan went on.
PT INKA, state-owned train manufacturer, would not be able to produce this many coaches, thus, KAI would look for other suppliers.
In addition, he said, the firm wanted to increase revenue from non-railway based business ' assets such as land and buildings ' to Rp 1.5 trillion by 2020.
'We believe we will achieve the target because the figure already stood at Rp 300 billion as of August [2013],' Jonan said.
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