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KAI suspends Greater Jakarta LRT trial to fix glitches
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After only four days of operation, the Transportation Ministry has halted the limited public trial of the new Greater Jakarta LRT.
The ministry's director general for railways, Risal Wasal, said on Monday that authorities had suspended the public trial for roughly a week for software improvements after conducting an evaluation on Saturday.
"In general, the public trial for the LRT ran smoothly. We need to improve a few things, including the software system," Risal said.
According to state railway company Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI), which runs the service, the Greater Jakarta LRT uses a technology called communications-based train control (CBTC). This railway signaling technology allows LRT trains to be driverless, but a human operator will always be on board in case the train encounters any problems.
During its limited public trial, which started last week, the Greater Jakarta LRT encountered several glitches.
On a trip from Dukuh Atas to Harjamukti on July 12 that included a journalist from The Jakarta Post, the train made three sudden stops along a portion of elevated track. The glitch prolonged the trip from the expected 45 minutes to 54 minutes.
The train announcement system did not function properly and the ride was also rougher than that of the Jakarta MRT – which was launched in 2019 – because of hard braking and acceleration.
Kuswardojo, KAI spokesperson for the Greater Jakarta LRT, said the company would install upgraded ATS (Automatic Train Supervisory) systems on all LRT trains before the public trial resumed.
"This system monitors the trains' mobility and can adjust train [speeds] to ensure timely arrivals, among other things. The ATS is necessary to improve our services and to improve passenger comfort," Kuswardojo told the Post on Monday.
The LRT will test the ATS system over the weekend and will resume the trial run for the invited public officials on July 25, the Transportation Ministry’s Risal said.
The trial of the Greater Jakarta LRT has been divided into two phases: the first for invited public officials and the press, which was initially scheduled for July 12 to 26, and the second for registered members of the public, which was scheduled for July 27 to Aug. 17.
Risal said the trial for the public had been pushed back to July 29.
"We're sorry for the inconvenience caused by this suspension. We hope everything will run well so that the general public can try the Greater Jakarta LRT as soon as possible," he said.
The train operator opened public registration for the trial last week, and the tickets sold out in hours. More than 24,000 people registered within three hours of its opening.
KAI's Kuswardojo said the unexpected pause would not affect the Greater Jakarta LRT’s official launch, which is scheduled to take place on Aug. 18.
KAI will operate 31 trains on the Greater Jakarta LRT when the service opens fully to the public. Each six-car train has a capacity of 1,308 passengers, 174 of whom would be seated.
The LRT will run from 5 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. and offer around 560 trips a day.
Authorities estimate that 140,000 passengers will use the service daily after the public launch, but Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi previously said it could accommodate a maximum of 500,000 passengers a day.
