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Cultural heritage meets modernity as Jatinegara Station undergoes expansion
Picking up the pace: Construction of a huge addition to the Jatinegara Station in East Jakarta is seen on Tuesday
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icking up the pace: Construction of a huge addition to the Jatinegara Station in East Jakarta is seen on Tuesday. Built in 1910, the station, which is considered part of the city’s cultural heritage, is being expanded to be able to cater to more passengers.(JP/Dionnasius Aditya)
Upon arriving at Jatinegara Station in Matraman, East Jakarta, commuters will immediately notice the building’s distinctive design. The brown roof has a sharp slope and a white round dormer, which are typical in European
architecture.
Above its archway entrance, brown capital letters that spell out “Setasiun Jatinegara” stand out against the structure’s white walls.
Next to the entrance, a sign explains: “This building is a cultural heritage based on Bylaw No. 9/1999 on the preservation and utilization of […] cultural heritage buildings.”
The station, built in 1910 during the Dutch colonial era, was initially called Meester Cornelis, named after Cornelis van Senen, a Portuguese teacher who taught, set up schools and preached in the area.
In contrast to the main building, evidence of modern construction work can be seen rising above the brown roof.
Kunto Wibisono, an official from the Transportation Ministry’s Railway Directorate General, said the expansion of Jatinegara Station was part of the Greater Jakarta railway master plan.
“One of our main programs is the construction of a double-double track from Manggarai [South Jakarta] to Cikarang Station to separate the long-distance tracks from shorter tracks [inner-city routes],” Kunto told The Jakarta Post recently.
“Jatinegara is a [major] transit station and it needs an upgrade to support the plan.”
Kunto assured that the heritage building, where ticket booths, a mosque and a modern market are located, would not be changed, let alone demolished, although the ongoing construction of two new platforms was close to the entrance.
“There are now five platforms and we will add three more. Platform one and two are being built right now and another one will follow soon,” Kunto said, adding that the entire project is expected to be completed in 2020.
In addition to additional platforms, he said, there would be a bridge for commuters to safely cross the railways.
While major construction work is ongoing, Jatinegara Station still serves three railway lines, from Jakarta Kota Station in West Jakarta, Manggarai Station in South Jakarta and Cikarang Station in Bekasi, West Java.
Passengers of long- and medium-distance routes can only embark at Jatinegara Station as departure points are Kota Station, Gambir Station, Senen Station and Bekasi Station.
Commuters hope that the expansion will improve the capital’s train services and encourage more people to take public transportation.
Muhammad Hanafi, 22, said that as a commuter who regularly took the train from Jatinegara Station to his office in East Jakarta, he supported the expansion, which would help alleviate traffic.
“The expansion, if possible, should not be limited only at this station because some others also need improvement. In Cibitung [where he resides], there are only two platforms and during busy hours, we can wait up to four hours to catch a train,” said Hanafi.
Meanwhile, Mega Susana, who passes by Jatinegara Station almost every day, argued that it had taken too long for the expansion to finish, hampering the flow of traffic.
“But of course, we should always support the improvement of public modes of transportation to encourage more residents to use them, especially in this time of worsening air pollution and traffic congestion,” said the 40-year-old.
