Airport railway to commence operation in November

INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS - Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said on Friday that the airport railway connecting Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten with Jakarta is set to commence operation in November.  

The construction of the railway, which has been underway since June 2015, has already reached 80 percent completion, Budi said.

Last month, state railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) already received one train out of the total of 10 trains.

"We will do a trial test in early October and then it will begin operating in late November," Budi told reporters at his office.

When in operation, the airport train service will allow passengers to travel from Soekarno-Hatta Airport to the Manggarai Station in South Jakarta within only 45 minutes.

Traveling by car or bus is unpredictable and can take hours during busy periods, primarily because of heavy traffic jams.

The train service can carry 272 passengers in a single trip, equal to roughly 35,000 passengers a day. (lnd)