espite a wide variety of ticket-selling channels, many passengers have been complaining that it was still difficult for them to get train tickets during this year’s Idul Fitri holiday season.
Eni Sukmawati, 48, is one of the passengers who experienced how difficult it was to get train tickets to travel to their hometowns during this year’s Idul Fitri mudik (exodus). She said, like other passengers, she had to look for tickets for her family two months before their departure to Malang, East Java, from Jakarta.
“But for our travel back to Jakarta, I got the tickets one week before our departure. We, our family, have always been more interested in traveling by train,” said Eni.
According to data from state railway company KAI, the number of passengers transported between 10 days and six days before Idul Fitri this year reached 4.3 million, or up by around 4 percent from 4.1 million in the same period last year. The flow of passengers returning to cities from their hometowns will continue until next Tuesday, KAI predicts.
KAI president director Edi Sukmoro said the company had actually prepared 393 train journeys for Idul Fitri this year. Because of people’s high demand for trains, however, it took time for them to get the tickets, he said.
“The complaints on difficulties in getting train tickets indicate people’s high interests in [using] trains, and we will use them as input to improve KAI ticket distribution services,” said Edi, during an inspection at Kota Baru Station in Malang on Thursday. (ebf)
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