2017: Indonesia’s Railink on Java Opens for Passengers

December 26, 2017

In Indonesia, a new airport rail link made its debut on the island of Java. The 33.7-mile (54.3-kilometer)-long Soekarno-Hatta Airport Railink was built to reduce travel time for individuals between South Jakarta, an administrative subdivision of Indonesia’s capital city of Jakarta (officially known as the Special Capital Region of Jakarta), and the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. This passenger rail service was ready for use only after extensive delays. “Long-Awaited Airport Train Finally Running,” proclaimed a headline in the Jakarta Post the day after it began operations.

The Railink was formally opened a week after its actual launch. Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo officiated at the inaugural ceremony. (His wardrobe for the event included “a casual purple shirt and red running shoes,” according to the Jakarta Post.) Other public officials attending the ceremony included Rini Mariani Soemarno, minister of state-owned enterprises; Budi Karya Sumadi, minister of transportation; and Basuki Hadimuljono, minister of public works and people’s housing. As a part of the day’s festivities, Jokowi rode on one of the fledgling rail link’s trains from the station at the airport to the Sudirman Baru Station (now called the BNI City Station) in Jakarta’s administrative subdivision of Central Jakarta.

The Soekarno-Hatta Airport Railink, which had a ridership of approximately 1.5 million passengers during its first year of operation, is the second airport rail link in Indonesia. The first was Kualanamu Airport Railink Services (ARS) on the island of Sumatra. The 25-mile (40-kilometer)-long ARS has been in existence since 2013, and it connects the city of Medan with Kualanamu International Airport.

For more information on the Soekarno-Hatta Airport Railink, please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soekarno%E2%80%93Hatta_Airport_Rail_Link

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