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Passing test of time: Century-old Manggarai Station to become Jakarta’s largest train hub
The station will replace Gambir Station in Central Jakarta as the central station for long distance trips by 2021 and become the city’s largest central station.
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A man checks an airport train at the depot at Manggarai Station, South Jakarta, on Nov. 24, 2017. (JP/Seto Wardhana.)
W
ith major construction work being undertaken at Manggarai Station in South Jakarta, the thousands of commuters stopping at the station every day would never guess it was marking its 105th anniversary this year.
Claudia Angel, 19, who regularly takes the commuter line from Bogor in West Java to Mangga Dua in North Jakarta for work, said she had noticed the station was undergoing major renovation and improvements had been felt. She expressed hope that services would improve, such as in reduced waiting time for commuters.
“The station is more comfortable and organized now so it's no longer easy to get lost,” Claudia said.
Since it was built in 1913 during the Dutch colonial era, the station has been a hub from which to travel from Jakarta, then known as Batavia, to other cities. As rail-based transportation has become the backbone of public transportation in Greater Jakarta, the government plans to make the station a hub for long-distance trips to the eastern and southern parts of Java.
The Transportation Ministry said the station would replace Gambir Station in Central Jakarta as the central station for long-distance trips by 2021 and become the city’s largest central station. It will also still function as the hub for the Greater Jakarta commuter line and the airport train.
Various construction projects are under way at the station. The ministry’s Railway Directorate General is currently working on a four-track railway project that will link the city to eastern housing and industrial zones in Bekasi, West Java. The project will also include the upgrading of Jatinegara Station in East Jakarta.
“Our concept is the different types of railway lines meeting in one spot. Manggarai meets the criteria. It is the interchange for the commuter line from Bekasi, Bogor and Tanah Abang to reach Rangkasbitung as well,” Railway Directorate General spokesperson Supandi told The Jakarta Post recently.
