The new Skytrain at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International has recently doubled its frequency and is on track to meet its target of full automation and greater regularity within the year. The new service now makes 12 trips in two hours and aims to improve this rate over the coming months.
“There is an additional operation from six trips in two hours now to 12 trips,†said Yado Yarismano, spokesman of Soekarno-Hatta airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II, as quoted by tempo.com. “Although the train only operates three times a day, trips can now be completed twice as fast since the operation kicked off on Sept. 17,†said Yado.
The Skytrain serves passengers travelling from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2, and vice versa. The train currently operates three times daily, for two hours at a time: from 7:00 am to 9:00 am, then 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm and finally from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. The Skytrain’s two carriages can accommodate up to 176 passengers in total, covering a stretch of track that is 1,700 metres in length. The Skytrain service is free of charge.
Putra Pariadi, who is Electronical and Mechanical Engineering Vice President at Angkasa Pura II recently stated that the Skytrain’s operational hours will be increased gradually, with the ultimate goal being 24-hour service. He also confirmed plans to gradually increase the speed of the train, from 30 kilometres per hour to 60 kilometres per hour in order to speed up the service and enable greater frequency. The trains, which are currently manned by drivers, will eventually be automated, using a new Guideway transit system.
The next developmental stage for Skytrain involves connecting Terminal 3, Terminal 2, the airport train station and Terminal 1 with dual tracks, leading to a total length of 3,050 metres. The frequency will eventually be set to every five minutes, with total travel duration shaved to seven minutes when the Skytrain is in full operation.
The Soekarno-Hatta International Airport Skytrain was officially launched on 17th September 2017. 30 percent of international tourists arriving in Indonesia travel through Soekarno-Hatta International Airport; the new facility is expected to increase the capacity for overseas tourists visiting Indonesia via the nation’s capital.
