Jokowi Exposes Reason for Boarding Commuter Line at Rush Hour

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has spoken about his reason for boarding commuter line (KRL) to return home to Bogor during rush hour on Wednesday, March 6, 2019.

"Someone advised me to try riding the KRL at 6:00 AM to 8:00 AM in the morning or 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM in the afternoon. That was an impromptu act," said Jokowi as noted in a statement released by the Deputy of Protocol, Press, and Media of the Presidential Secretariat on Friday, March 8, 2019.

Jokowi said that the suggestion was conveyed during an event in South Jakarta. After concluding the event, he decided to try KRL from Tanjung Barat station.

"My goal was to see the real conditions, and we did experience it. I could not even move [at the train]. Particularly, the train from Jakarta to Depok, I couldn't move," the President said.

The former governor of Jakarta recalled his experience in the train where he received many suggestions from people who were asking for more carriages to facilitate more passengers. The problem, Jokowi noted, was that additional carriages could affect the closure of train crossings.

Therefore, Jokowi asserted the solution was the construction of the elevated railway in the capital city to connect its vicinity area. "The big project in Jakarta, in my opinion, is the elevated railway. It requires huge cost but there is no other way than that, so the train headway can be managed. Indeed, we have to prepare public transportation," Jokowi stated.

FRISKI RIANA