REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SEMARANG -- State-owned railway company PT KAI has given its assurance that it is prepared to transport passengers who will travel after the fasting month of Eid Fitr or Lebaran, President Director of KAI Edi Sukmoro said.
"If you ask about KAI's preparedness to cater to passengers, I would say it is now ready because Lebaran transportation is an annual affair," Sukmoro stated here on Tuesday.
The KAI president director and Director General of Railway Services Hermanto Dwiatmoko were inspecting the Tawang Railway Station in Central Java as part of their field checks of railway tracks and stations along the Semarang-Jakarta route.
He added that his side was checking preparations of regional KAI operation areas (Daops) in the face of the Lebaran exodus. These checks were on security and safety standards.
"We ask all Daops to declare their respective readiness, including in safety standards of operations. Ensuring safety must be prioritized so travelers feel secure till they reach their destinations," he remarked.
Their preparedness was inspected to observe whether there were shortcomings so KAI could coordinate with relevant units if any were found. "We will ensure that KAI's Lebaran transport services are successful this year in delivering passengers to and from cities," Sukmoro affirmed.
The railway company has prepared 15 trains and has adequate train tickets. "There are still a lot of tickets available for Lebaran, as long as not all possible passengers choose to depart a day or two before D-Day. The tickets for these days must have been sold out because travelers hunt for them," he pointed out.
The KAI president director further noted that his company has estimated that some 2.5 million train passengers will travel during the Lebaran holiday this year, ten days before (D-10) and ten days after (D+10) D-Day.
"There will be some 2.4 to 2.5 million passengers. But people always say tickets are sold out for D-1, D-2, D-3 or D+1. Besides tickets for these days, there are still one million tickets," he stated.
Moreover, Director General of Railway Affairs Hermanto Dwiatmoko has urged KAI to increase supervision, particularly in risky lanes, including at crossings that have no rail bars.
"We asked KAI to prepare for everything that could possibly be needed---emergency railway sleepers in certain places, for instance---so undesired occurrences, such as landslides, can be handled posthaste," the director general said.