Airport Train in Line With Expected: Minister

Jakarta, (Antaranews Sumbar) - The Soekarno-Hatta airport train that has been in operation since the end of December 2017 is in line with what is expected from various sides, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan has said.

Jonan, who served as President Director of PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) from 2009-2014, made the statement after trying out the airport train from the Sudirman Baru Station in Central Jakarta on Sunday evening.

"The train is comfortable, with the interior is also like the trains abroad, and the station is also in accordance with international standards such as in Singapore and Hong Kong," Jonan remarked.

The minister said he was happy because his dream of airport railway could be realized since he started it at the end of 2011 while still serving as President Director of PT KAI.

About the tariff, according to Jonan, is also quite reasonable for Rp70,000 per passenger considering the train also does not get subsidies from the government.

While the matter of service, he claimed to have not felt it directly because when he tried out the train, it was not in the busy hours.

He admitted that the speed of the train was good enough although there were separate records about the transit time in some stations that he considered too long.

"Three to four minutes is enough at Batu Ceper Station, and I do not think it needs to stop at Duri Station, in order to make the travel time to the airport shorter," the minister said.

He argues that airport train is very feasible to be a transportation option for people who will travel through Soekarno-Hatta Airport because there are three advantages by choosing an airport train that reduces fuel consumption, saves time, and reduces pollution. (*)

Translator: Vicha Faradika