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Commuter line reports fewer delays
Express expectations: Passengers wait to board a commuter line train in Tanah Abang Station, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday
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xpress expectations: Passengers wait to board a commuter line train in Tanah Abang Station, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday. PT Kereta Commuter Indonesia (KCI) introduced a new train schedule for Greater Jakarta in early December which caused errors and confusion among passengers. KCL said on Monday that it had fixed the issues.(JP/Seto Wardhana)
When the commuter line operator introduced a new schedule for trains serving Greater Jakarta at the start of December, glitches resulted in many delays, causing confusion and frustration among stranded passengers.
PT Kereta Commuter Indonesia (KCI) says it has overcome the problems and most trains departed on time Monday.
Under the new 2019 train route graphics schedule, KCI has increased its services to 1,057 trips a day using 90 trains, from 945 trips with 81 trains. The train service serves up to 1.2 million people a day commuting between Jakarta and the adjacent towns of Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi.
Poor preparations had clearly undermined the operator’s good intentions to offer better service. In the first three days of the new schedule’s implementation, trains were delayed, many for up to 30 minutes. By Dec. 5, the average delay time was cut to 10 minutes.
Many passengers were also not fully informed about the changes, including the fact that they could take advantage of the improved services if only they took shorter rides with one or two transits, rather than one train that took them straight to their destination.
Some of the glitches were apparently technical, as some commuter trains were shifting to tracks used by intercity trains. State-owned railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI), the parent company of KCI, has added 38 trips to serve Gambir and Pasar Senen, two main intercity stations.
“Because we [ the commuter line and intercity trains] share tracks, it has taken some time to adjust the new schedule,” KCI spokesperson Anne Purba said.
Some intercity trains need more time for minor maintenance at Jakarta Kota Station, adding to the longer line. This affects services along the Jakarta Kota-Manggarai route, KCI’s busiest route.
To ease congestion, KCI has added two more SF10 trains (train with 10 cars) serving Bekasi-Jakarta Kota via Manggarai, and also more trains between Manggarai and Tambun, Bekasi, as well as Tanah Abang-Rangkasbitung.
These additional operations have slowly reduced the delays. On Monday, all trains left on time, except one inbound train at 7:15 a.m. from Bekasi Station, which was delayed by almost 20 minutes.
Last week, the long delays resulted in only two trips within an hour, when there should have been five, Anne said.
These delays caused the number of passengers waiting to board trains to swell, especially during peak hours.
One passenger, Kevin Dirgantara Putra, 23, shared his experience last Tuesday. He wanted to board from Klender Station at 6:38 a.m. but the train was packed. He waited until the 7:15 train arrived and saw the train was also full but he forced his way into the car as he could not wait any longer.
To make the situation worse, the air conditioner was not working.
“When the train stopped at Jatinegara, only a few people hopped off and even more people got in. People stepped on my feet. It was so uncomfortable,” said Kevin, adding that when he arrived at Manggarai Station, three passengers who rode in the same car fainted.
Kevin said he was aware of the schedule change. “I learned about the changes from the commuter line app and website. But I didn’t expect the trip to be as packed,” he said.
Alif Warsilah, 27, had a more pleasant experience riding during off-peak hours Thursday. “I only learned about the schedule change today. The train seems less crowded than usual,” he said.
KCI says it has been promoting the new schedule through repeated announcements inside trains and at stations, on its website, through Instagram, apps and banners at stations since November.
Soegijapranata Catholic University public transportation expert Djoko Setijowarno said part of the problem was that passengers were not fully informed about the changes in spite of the massive campaign.
Djoko said passengers were likely to naturally choose direct services if they had the option and avoid transiting. “They are reluctant to hop from one train to another,” he said.
Anne said passengers could reach to their destination faster if they were prepared to make one or two transits. “Riding from Citayam to Sudirman, you have the option to take one train that takes you to your destination, or you can take two trains, changing at Manggarai,” she said, citing an example.
“People still have this mindset that transiting is complicated and that doing so will elongate their commute. However, the fact is that their travel time can end up being faster,” she said. (aly)
