Since I first wrote about commuting into town by train nine years ago (here and here) …
… much has changed, and for the better. So much so in fact that there is now a love song entitled Aku Cinta KRL (Kerata Listrik Kita) = “I Love Our Electric Trains”.
Yep, we can now say ‘goodbye’ to non-AC trains which were used by loads of folk …
Old style – strap hanging
… and women-only trains which weren’t used much at all …
… except in rush hours.
But the women only carriages – one at each end – continue the practice of segregation: no single guys or married couples, but single women and lesbian couples are accepted.
We can now say hello to new style strap hanging …
… in lots of second-hand Japanese trains and a few made locally, all with AC.
KA Commuter Jabodetabek or commonly known as KRL Jabodetabek is a mass rapid transit system in the Jakarta metropolitan area in Indonesia. KRL Jabodetabek is an acronym for “Kereta Rel Listrik Jakarta Bogor Depok Tangerang Bekasi” which can be loosely translated as “Jabodetabek Electrified Rail”.
The current trains are mostly ex-Tokyo Metro, Toei Subway, Japan Railways and Tokyu trains and some are from PT INKA (a subsidiaries of PT Kereta Api or PTKA, Indonesian National Railways Company)
Source: Wikipedia
BBC video of new system.
Electronic train ticketing
Using the electronic gates
The stations have been cleared of vendors and overnight sleepers. Although this generally means that navigating the platforms is generally easier, as this Jakarta Post editorial reminds us “the state-owned company cannot ignore the fate of thousands of people who have lost their source of revenue following the removal of their kiosks.”
Furthermore, until everyone gets used to the new ticketing system, which is not yet fully automated, then queues are much longer.
I’m not a morning commuter, but I do occasionally have to meet someone in central Jakarta and as Jakartass Towers redux is between two stations on the Bogor or Depok to Jakarta line, catching a train is convenient. What is even better is the introduction, finally, of distance-based fares: Rp.2,000 for the first five stations and Rp.500 for every three additional stations.
Avoid the rush hours!
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Apart from recent articles in the Post and Globe, I’ve made use of Jakarta by Train, a website “dedicated to promote tourism destination in Greater Jakarta surrounding the Commuter Line Station.”
It is a truly excellent effort, with a map of routes, schedules (which I wouldn’t rely on) and much more, including the notion that travelling the commuter lines is romantic. It also suggests which stations are close to various ‘tourist’ actions.
I’ll be adding this site to my blogroll.
Train journeys outside Jakarta are celebrated here – “Definitely the best form of travel”
Jakartass Travels 