Capital Corner

TRAINSPOTTING IN THE CITY

As the capital city of Indonesia, Jakarta is where the major business wheels are turning. The city is where people from its neighboring towns make their living. Every day people from Bogor, Bekasi and Tangerang commute to their workplaces in Jakarta by car, bus and... trains.

To serve the Jakarta-Bogor line, electric locomotives were ordered by the Dutch Indies Government to pull the trains.

As one of the most congested cities in the world, commuting by electric train to Jakarta from neighboring towns is a wise choice as it is fast and economical, and there are railways throughout Jakarta. The railroad tracks also connect Jakarta to its neighboring cities Depok and Bogor to the south, Tangerang and Serpong to the west, and Bekasi, Karawang and Cikampek to the east. The major rail stations are Gambir, Jatinegara, Manggarai and Jakarta Kota.

However, it is no secret that Jakarta's public transportation is in serious need of improvement. The city's railways are inadequate and in poor condition and most of the trains, especially the economy trains, are not being taken care of properly. They are mostly run down, unclean and there simply are not enough of them. During peak hours, the amount of passengers overloads the train's capacity. Passengers are left with no choice but to climb on the roof of the train or hang out the door, endangering their lives and others.

Compared to other major cities in the world like Singapore, Bangkok and Tokyo, Jakarta's railway system is lagging very far behind. It's an irony, considering that Jakarta was the first amongst them to operate an electric line in 1925, connecting Bogor to Jakarta and its suburbs.

In fact, the history of Indonesian railways goes way back. According to the History of Railways in Indonesia, Governor-General Mr. L.A.J.W. Baron Sloet van Beele was the one who broke ground for the first railway line in Java in 1864. The first line in operation between Semarang and Tanggung was opened in 1867.

After Indonesia's full independence in 1950, the railway was in an appalling state. Years of neglect and war had resulted in destruction or damage to the rolling stock, tracks and other structures. So the railway was rebuilt, 100 general purpose steam locomotives were ordered, tracks torn up and re-laid, new structures were built replacing those destroyed in the "scorched-earth" moves in the war, and new rolling stock were ordered.

Since it was first built by the Dutch and then operated by Indonesian State Railway as it is today, the Indonesian railways have undergone many changes in management and policies. The trains were upgraded to newer models and efforts were made to increase the speed. When Indonesia was hit by the 1997 economic crisis, airplane fares calculated in US dollars became too expensive, so middle class customers began to look at trains as their alternative choice of transportation.

However, in the effort to make the Indonesian railway more advanced and profitable, not much attention was paid to preserving its historical value. Old train stations and locomotives were forgotten and left to decay.

This was of great concern to a group of train enthusiasts who understood the importance of preserving the great historical value of the Indonesian railway in the effort to improve the railway system. This group of people corresponded regularly through a mailing list. One day in February 2001, one of them spotted an ancient abandoned CC200 locomotive in Cirebon, and the discussion heated up. The group then started to search for the whereabouts of the other locomotives of Cirebon Locomotive Depot and found three remaining CC200 locomotives, which were in derelict condition. They were fortunate enough to have found those treasures before the locomotives were dismantled and scrapped by the authorities.

The group then formed a group called "Friends of CC200" with a mission to preserve these locomotives. In June 2002, the proposal to restore these CC200 locomotives was approved by the General Manager of the Indonesian State Railway Omar Berto. Then in order to help the "Friends of CC200" to be more focused in their tasks, on June 25, 2002 the Indonesian Railway Preservation Society (IRPS) was formed as the mother organization for "Friends of CC200". Since then, 25th June is now celebrated as the birthday of the Indonesian Railway Preservation Society.

According to Sonny Gumilang, a member and former Public Relations representative of the IRPS, they have been relentless in their efforts to preserve the history of the Indonesian railway. They are dedicated to finding and funding the restoration of old trains and reminding the authorities, again and again, of the importance of preserving history.

Their tireless effort paid off, when the authorities of the Indonesian State Railway showed their support by forming a Conservation and Heritage Division to help preserving the history of Indonesian railway. It's a huge achievement, considering that Indonesian State Railway is the only state-owned corporation to have such a division.

Another great accomplishment by the IRPS is their success in preserving Jakarta's first electric locomotive. According to Sonny, the operation of the Jakarta electric railway line in 1925 marked the birth of Jakarta as a metropolitan city. This electric railway line heralded a new era of their mass transportation system, which was amongst the most advanced transportation systems in Asia at that time.

To serve the Jakarta-Bogor line, electric locomotives were ordered by the Dutch Indies Government to pull the trains. One type was nicknamed "Bon-Bon" due to its boxy shape and attractive color, which resembled a pack of confections.

These locomotives were later replaced by Electric Multiple Unit cars in 1976, and were neglected so fell into bad condition. IRPS found the last Bon-Bon locomotive in April 2006. It was in a pitiable state, rusted and forgotten, in stark contrast to its glorious days when it hauled thousands of passengers daily to their various destinations.

That particular Bon-Bon locomotive was the last one to survive. The others were already dismantled and became iron scraps. IRPS started the restoration process in 2006 and it took them a year to complete the project. Bon-Bon was now repainted in its original color and was a silent but proud witness of Jakarta's first days as a metropolitan city.

By acknowledging one's past, one's history, one is able to create a future. The railway system in Indonesia and Jakarta in particular still has a long way to go. Jakarta has a lot of homework to do to catch up with other Asian major cities.

Those who genuinely care like the people in IRPS have dedicated their time, energy, money and ideas to help reveal the glorious past of the Indonesian railway to remind us all that Jakarta was once a pioneer with its electric railway system. Now it is up to us all to participate, in whatever way we can, to ensure that the Indonesian railway will be better in the future. «»

Text by Patricia Ivana
Photos by Josua Alessandro