Eighteen trains arrived at Tanjung Priok seaport in North Jakarta today, with all of them set to join the KRL Commuterline fleet in the near future.
KRL Commuterline operators PT KCJ ordered 120 used trains from Japan in 2015 and had them shipped to Jakarta in batches throughout last year.
This is surely welcome news for those who make the cramped daily commute on the KRL Commuterline, considering that PT KCJ is estimating that its number of passengers will increase by 10.9% from around 257,000 in 2015 to around 285,000 in 2016.
This latest batch of trains is among the last of the used trains shipped from Japan. The Japanese gave the trains a touching send-off for their final trips in Japan, and PT KCJ is going to preserve the sentimental value.
“Previously the trains were operated in Japan and they were decorated with pictures drawn and colored by Japanese children. So we will also decorate the trains with similar pictures when they’re operating in Jabodetabek,” said PT KCJ Communications Manager Eva Chairunisa, as quoted by BeritaSatu.
PT KCJ has bought 784 trains from Japan since 2008.
