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KAI applies baggage allowance to train passengers
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Travelers wait for their trains at Gambir Station in Central Jakarta on Tuesday, to travel to their hometowns ahead of Idul Fitri. (JP/Muhammad Reza)
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tate-owned railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia has applied a new rule typical of airlines, limiting every train passenger to a maximum 20 kilograms of free baggage.
KAI’s Regional Office I spokesman Bambang S. Prayitno said passengers would be charged for excess baggage. The policy, which was implemented two weeks ago, aimed to create fairness among travelers and equal opportunities to take luggage on trains.
“Each executive class passenger will be charged Rp 10,000 [68 US cents] per kilogram of extra weight, while passengers in business and economy classes will be charged Rp 6,000 and Rp 2,000 per kilogram, respectively,” Bambang said at Gambir Station in Central Jakarta on Tuesday.
Lilyana Kurniawati Afifah, a passenger heading to Surakarta, said she agreed with the policy because baggage space on trains was limited. She even suggested that the railway operator increase the rate for extra baggage.
Meanwhile, Gambir Station, from which executive class trains mostly depart, was quiet on Tuesday despite it being the day before Idul Fitri. The station saw its peak of traveler numbers on Sunday, Bambang said.
“The station served 132,951 passengers on 43 trains between June 24 and July 4. The most crowded schedule was on Sunday, where 15,006 passengers returned to their hometowns across Java for the annual Idul Fitri festivities,” he said. (rez/ags)
