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KAI’s Idul Fitri holiday revenue up 13 percent
State railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) booked Rp 595 billion (US$41
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tate railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) booked Rp 595 billion (US$41.4 million) in revenue during this year’s Idul Fitri holiday season, an increase of 13 percent compared to the same period last year, on the back of increased demand for railway transportation.
During the Idul Fitri holiday season, which lasted 22 days (10 days before and after Idul Fitri on June 15-16), the railway company provided full services for homebound travelers.
“The demand was really high for railway transportation. However, whether or not all passengers could be carried really depended on the available facilities,” KAI president director Edi Sukmoro said recently.
KAI managed to provide 393 trips daily during the mass exodus season, 40 trips of which were additional services provided by the company.
The overall seat capacity also increased by 3.5 percent to 236,210 during this year’s holiday season compared to last year.
With the additional capacity, the number of passengers also jumped by 6.59 percent year-on-year (yoy) to 6.2 million people.
The company recorded its peak passenger traffic on June 10 for passengers departing major cities and June 17 for returning passengers.
Edi also highlighted the launch of KAI’s most luxurious service, a sleeper train, in the middle of the Idul Fitri holiday season on June 12.
The train cars provide facilities mirroring those of an airline’s business class, including in-train entertainment with a 12-inch TV, electrically adjustable seats, foldable food trays, private compartments and blankets, among other features.
Currently the cars are only available on the Argo Bromo Anggrek railway between Jakarta and Surabaya, East Java, at a price of Rp 900,000 per trip.
“The sleeper train, so far, has always been fully booked,” Edi added.
Since its launch, he said, the luxury train had carried 1,208 passengers. Currently, the new service is still in a trial phase to ascertain whether there is steady demand. The trial will end on July 12.
Edi said the success of the sleeper train on the Jakarta-Surabaya route had opened up the possibility for the company to extend the service to trains connecting Jakarta and Yogyakarta as well as Jakarta and Solo, Central Java.
Meanwhile, the company also plans to rejuvenate its existing cars and add additional ones to cater to the increased passenger demand.
The company currently has some 1,000 cars that are more than 30 years old.
KAI has previously paid around Rp 2 trillion to purchase 438 new cars from the state train manufacturer INKA.
“With the high demand for railway transportation, we have expressed our intention to INKA to purchase 886 new cars. So far, we have signed a contract for 438 new cars, which have been partially delivered this year and were also used during the Idul Fitri season,” Edi said.
The company has welcomed 12 trains so far from the total 38 trains it ordered.
The remaining trains are expected to be delivered before next year’s Idul Fitri holiday.
KAI commercial director and safety and security director Apriyono Wedi Chresnanto stated that the company would definitely add new cars next year.
