Train Passengers Increase 42 Percent during Christmas Holiday
- tvOne/Teguh Joko Sutrisno
Jakarta – State-run railway company KAI (Kereta Api Indonesia) stated that train passengers increase up to 42-percent during this year's Christmas holiday period compared to the year-ago period.
From December 22 to 25, 2023, the number of train passengers – on both local and long-distance trains – was recorded at 854,974. During the same period of last year, the figure totaled 600,797.
Vice president of public relations at KAI, Joni Martinus, said that one of the reasons for the increase in the number of passengers during this year's holiday period was the improvement in the COVID-19 situation compared to last year.
Suasana penumpang kereta api di Stasiun Gambir. (Ilustrasi).
- VIVA/Willibrodus
"Apart from that, the increasing customer interest is also predicted to be caused by a number of service improvements that KAI carried out, such as renovation of facilities and adding new trains," he informed on Tuesday.Â
As per KAI's records, during this Christmas holiday, the homecoming exodus peaked on Saturday (December 23), with the number of train passengers reaching 223,559 and seat occupancy touching 132 percent.Â
The additional 32 percentage points reflect passengers who got on and off trains between the first and final stations.
On Saturday, KAI prepared as many as 169,727 seats.
Meanwhile, the peak of the return flow was projected on Tuesday (December 26). KAI sold 188,667 tickets for that date, with the seat occupancy rate reaching 112 percent of the total 168,854 seats readied.
According to KAI, passengers' favorite train routes during the Christmas holiday period included Jakarta-Yogyakarta, Jakarta-Bandung, Jakarta-Surabaya, Jakarta-Purwokerto, and Bandung-Surabaya.
For the upcoming New Year homecoming exodus period from December 29–30, KAI has sold 248,494 tickets, with the occupancy rate reaching 73 percent of the total 339,188 seats.
"All workers of KAI are maximizing customers' comfort through the convenience and product innovation that we present. KAI is also committed that safety is the main focus during the Christmas and New Year period," Martinus said.
KAI has urged to its passengers to wear masks and maintain cleanliness to protect themselves from the risks of virus transmissions, such as COVID-19.
