TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - State-owned railway firm Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) announced that the company will add 35 long-distance trains during the Ramadan mass exodus (mudik) season.

"The last time KAI operated [Ramadan transportation] was in 2019, in 2020 there was no [additional transportation] and in 2021 it was not maximized. There will be more additional units mobilized this year," said KAI President Director Didiek Hartantyo in a meeting with House of Representatives (DPR) Commission VI on March 29, 2022.

The company predicted that the number of long-distance trips peak at 1,538 trips on a daily basis. Combined commuter lines and airport train trips the average number of train trips may reach up to 33,829 trips per day.

Seating capacity in all of the train services is also predicted to reach 4.7 million with predicted daily seat occupancy to average at 216,000 during the homecoming period. However, at the peak of homecoming season, KAI predicted that the number will increase to 2,000 daily trips with 218,000 daily seat occupancy.

KAI's Director of Finance and Risk Management Salusra Wijaya added that travel rules during the homecoming season will refer to the provisions of the Ministry of Transportation and the Covid-19 Task Force, which mandates travelers to be completely vaccinated and with additional booster shots, by meeting these requirements, travelers are no longer mandated to take Covid-19 tests.

FRANSISCA CHRISTY ROSANA