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Passengers rejoice: Commuter line from Lebak to reach Serang next year
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Two commuter line trains make stops at Cilebut Station in Bogor regency, West Java, on March 12, 2019. (JP/Arif Firmansyah)
R
ailway operator PT KAI Indonesia has planned to extend a commuter line route from Rangkasbitung in Lebak, Banten, to Serang city in Banten, with construction expected to start in 2020.
“Next year we plan to electrify [railway routes] toward Serang. So from Rangkasbitung to Serang, [the public] will be able to take the commuter line,” KAI operational region 1 executive vice president Sofyan Hasan said on Thursday.
He said that local train routes from Rangkasbitung to Merak in Banten carried 8,000 commuters daily.
Residents of Serang and its surrounding areas are expected to be able to enjoy the commuter line by the end of next year.
Sofyan said it would take six months to build electric facilities on the existing railways.
The commuter line will also operate on two railways as the Merak double-track project is currently under way.
Currently, Rangkasbitung is the farthest commuter line route from the capital Jakarta, measuring up to 72.7 kilometers in length.
If the commuter line is extended to Serang, the line will be 105 km long.
KAI, however, has yet to reveal whether commuters will be able to take the train directly from Tanah Abang Station in Central Jakarta to Serang or if commuters will have to transit in Rangkasbitung. (ami)
