As Idul Fitri approaches, non-native Jakartans are rushing to buy train tickets back to their hometowns for the holiday.
Train have become a preferred way to travel during holiday season — at the time when airline fares
The first electric train was launched in Batavia, now Jakarta, in 1925.
skyrocket and traveling by car becomes an ordeal because of the massive congestion along main routes across Java.
The annual exodus from the capital by train is not only an indication of the importance of railway services, but also brings back memories of train rides from decades ago.
The plan to build a rail network in the country was launched by Col. Jhr. Van Der Wijk in 1840, citing the success of trains as the means of logistic and mass transportation in Europe.
He proposed to build the Jakarta-Surabaya (East Java) route passing Bandung in West Java and Yogyakarta and Surakarta in Central Java, but the Dutch government instead opted to build the Semarang–Surakarta–Yogyakarta route.
Categories: Indonesia