(Transport 8 of 14) - Train (Kereta Api)

The commuter train (kereta api) is the closest equivalent of a rail-transit system in other countries, but functions as a rail-train system and not a mass-rapid transit system.

PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) is the major operator of public railways in Indonesia. It is completely owned by the government and pays track access charges to the government.

Commuter services operate from 5 a.m. (first train departing Bogor to Jakarta) to almost 10 p.m. (last train leaving Jakarta for Bogor). Trains often run late, though. There are four types of trains: express (air-conditioned non-stop trains, generally most useful for commuters going and returning from work), semi-express (similar to express, but with more stops, runs outside the rush hours), ekonomi AC (all-stops, air-conditioned, probably most useful for tourists) and ekonomi, that costs Rp 1.500 (22 cents), Rp 5.500 (economy with air conditioning or “executive”), and Rp 9.000-Rp 11.000 (express or “business”).

Like most of Jakarta, there are no signs or queues or any form of indication of where the trains came from or are going to, I had to ask the ticket conductor which train to board before knowing so, and train departures here are highly irregular, with the board of train departure timings barely giving any useful information but a whole table of times with no reference.

From what horror stories that I’ve heard about the kerata api (KRL Jabotabek) here, you’d want to avoid taking the “ekonomi” class, the cheapest at 1,500rp a ticket. But I took it just for the experience of it. Taking the ekonomi class of train is just about as exciting as it can get for a train experience in Jakarta: crime and sexual harassment are known to happen inside packed (during rush hours some people even travel on the roof!

The ekonomi trains here are rampant with pick-pocketing, snatch-theft and other petty crime, and I secured all my belongings, locked our zips, you gotta be constantly alert lest you miss your stop or become a victim of petty crime, having heard many stories of snatch-theft and the perpetrators jumping off the train in motion, you have to clutch your bags close to yourself and remain in a constant high-alert state for any potential misdemeanor.

During the non-rush hours, though, economy train travel is quite an interesting experience. It is a tour of Jakarta's darker side, with peddlers offering every imaginable article (from safety pins to cell-phone starter kits), various sorts of entertainment, ranging from one-person orchestras to full-sized bands, and a chance to sample real poverty; you are riding a slum on wheels. Just remember to keep an eye on your belongings all the time, do not flash valuables if have any, and, if have a bag, hold it in front of you (that's what many locals also do in these trains), you’d see hawkers, beggars, buskers, all plying their wares, begging for money or playing their instruments for money.

You will see people hanging precariously out of the open doors that do not close, the floor is too filthy to consider sitting on, but people do so anyway, you will see young boys playing guitars and going around with a bag asking for money, newspapers being sold, all manner of foodstuffs from Keropok, to peanuts, indomie (the popular version of Maggie Mee in Indonesia), cold and hot drinks being sold, women cradling a young child and a make-shift boombox singing Indonesian tunes and going around asking for money with an inverted potato-chip packet.

You will see people were lying down on the floor sleeping, propped on the seats, idling, singing, yelling, reciting poetry, selling, hawking wares, playing the guitar, make-shift drums, make-shift shakers in cans or plastic bottles, a crude but effective boom-boxes as a portable karaoke set for the “Singer-type” buskers, but the construction of the boom box is so shoddy, the sound it produces is crackly, constantly hissing and popping with static and probably four octaves off-tune, anyone singing into it instantly becomes a 100-deciibel irritant ear-sore. Coupled with the multitude of “performances”, hawkers, local interactions, third-world travel conditions, al in all a very lively, somewhat entertaining experience.

The trains will slow down when approaching a station, and stop only very briefly, throughout the time there will be people jumping on and off the train even when the train is still in motion arriving at the platform, or when the train is leaving the platform, the locals will just hop on through the open doors, even when the train has started moving, people were still running and hopping on the train from the platform. There are no electronic announcements that the train is approaching or leaving.

Information about train tickets from PT Kereta Api (Persero) is available on the Web, but no on-line reservation is possible. In Jakarta, you can buy your tickets in the major stations up to 30 days in advance. Trains to other major cities on Java leave Jakarta from train stations at Gambir, Tanah Abang and Senin. Some trains are bookable in advance. Trains are a good transportation option for inter-city travel on a budget. Information on train schedules can be found on the National Railways web site.

Except in weekends, you can generally buy a ticket just before departure, but buy only from the counter and be wary of ticket scalpers. They will offer “tickets” even to people waiting in the queues in front of the ticket sales points, which they have bought from the counter themselves and are hoping to make a quick buck off you. You will probably pay double if you do so, and you might find that your coach has empty seats anyway.

Jakarta has several train stations. The current main station for long distance passengers in Jakarta is the Gambir station, located in Central Jakarta, near the MONAs. Eksekutif (AC) and some bisnis (non-AC) class trains arrive at this station. Most trains from big cities in Java (Yogyakarta, Solo, Semarang, Malang, Purwokerto and Surabaya) arrive in late afternoon or evening.

Trains are frequent from Bandung, with one arriving almost every 2 hours. Duration: 3-3.5 hr, in bisnis or eksekutif (the only air-conditioned class, Rp 60,000). Economy class trains are slower. From Surabaya: the very good Argo Bromo Anggrek travels twice a day. Duration: 10hours 30minutes, Rp 265,000 during the week in eksekutif. Prices rise during the weekend and on public holidays. Be aware that the AC is cold, thus bring some warm clothes. Moreover, the television is usually very loud during the whole trip. It is possible to order meals: Rp 18,000 for a nasi goreng, Rp 3,000 for a hot tea.

Stasiun Pasar Senen - Cheaper trains without air-conditioning generally use the Pasar Senen station located two blocks east of Gambir. Beware that the location is rife with crime, although the station itself has been spruced up recently. Anyway, these ekonomi trains are not really suggested for tourist travel: they are slow, facilities are poor, and they are overloaded.

Stasiun Kota - Jakarta Kota station is located in the old part of the city, and serves as the departure point for commuter trains and some trains to Merak.



Stasiun Kota.




The gantry gates don't work at all.


Open door on a moving Ekonomi train
















A cleaner "bisnis" class carriage.




Platforms don't match the train, getting on and off is a challenge for some.




People are everywhere.







Hot food for sale too






Peanuts peanuts?


Newspapers, singers, everything is for sale!


Ekonomi class train