Currently, KCI has 106 trains in operation capable of serving 1.2 million passengers in the Greater Jakarta area per day, with each train consisting of eight to 12 individual cars. KCI corporate secretary Anne Purba said that in order to accommodate the 1,081 journeys KCI serves daily, the company needs a minimum of 96 operational trains.

“If we reduce the number of trains, of course it’s going to reduce the level of service. Even now, passengers have to jostle for space,” said Anne, as quoted by Koran Tempo. Aside from the 10 trains that are due to be retired this year, KCI is also planning to retire an additional 19 trains by the end of 2024 without any means to replace them until 2025 at the earliest.

Anne was not immediately available for comment when The Jakarta Post contacted her.

The rail service operator initially planned to import used Japanese trains to replace the old cars, and has made a purchase request to the Trade Ministry and the Industry Ministry. But, citing a failure to meet the 40 percent local content requirements (TKDN), the Industry Ministry has blocked the request.

“PT Industri Kereta Api [INKA] is capable of producing these trains, so why do we still have to import from Japan? We have to take pride in using Indonesian-made products, and even Bangladesh has bought Rp 1.3 trillion [US$85.2 million] worth of our trains,” said Industry Ministry secretary-general Dody Wiyodo, as quoted by Antara.

But given the urgency of the situation, an expert from the Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI) encouraged the relevant stakeholders to provide an exemption, with several caveats.

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