After a slight delay (it was supposed to be operational in August), Soekarno-Hatta Airport’s Skytrain is set to begin operations this month, transporting passengers between terminals.
For the first phase of the operation, the Skytrain will link passengers between Terminals 2 and 3.
“God willing on September 17 we will operate (the Skytrain) on one track and one route from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2,” said Muhammad Awaluddin, director of airport management firm PT Angkasa Pura II, as quoted by Detik yesterday.
PT Angkasa Pura II is targeting full operations, encompassing Terminal 1 as well, in November.
The Skytrain is supposed to be an automated vehicle, but for the next six months, the trains will be manned.
“After the first six months of operations is the soonest we can make (the Skytrain) driverless. There are safety and risk factors involved,” Awaluddin said.
The South Korean-made Skytrain, which consists of two carriages, will have a maximum capacity of 352 passengers on one trip. A trip from Terminal 1 to 2 and then 3 and vice versa is expected to take around 7 minutes.
Currently, all three of Soekarno-Hatta’s terminals are only accessible to the general public by road, with very limited means of public transportation for transfers.
In addition to the Skytrain, another major railway project connecting Soekarno-Hatta to the city is in the works. It was scheduled for launch in July but has been delayed to 2018.
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