A decision to cease operations on the Bekasi route is the latest blow to the Jakarta airport train, which has struggled to gain passengers ever since it was first launched in January last year.
o:p>College student Geofanni Nerissa, 20, could not contain her disappointment over the news that the airport train service provided by operator PT Railink will stop operations from Bekasi, West Java, to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten.
Having used it several times, she lauded the airport train for its excellent service and affordable price.
“I’m quite disappointed about this news. For me, personally, the airport train is the best mode of transportation to Soekarno-Hatta Airport,” the East Bekasi resident said on Friday.
She added that the train was her preferred option not only for its good service and comfortable cars but also its punctuality, which helped her manage her schedule when catching flights.
Although she admitted to sometimes using her family’s car to get to the airport, she said she needed to plan for more time if she traveled by car, given Bekasi’s notorious gridlock.
Another Bekasi resident who lives in Bintara, Elisabeth Ananda Eka Bonita, or Nanda, 23, said the airport train had been a great help for her to get to and from Soekarno-Hatta airport.
A frequent traveler, she flies at least once or twice a month to visit her parents in Makassar, South Sulawesi, or her siblings in Semarang, Central Java. She said Railink was practical for her, although she would have liked more trips per day between the airport and Bekasi.
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