Jakarta transit report (2023 edition)

Reviewing the urban railways of Jakarta and other transport observations.

Jakarta is set to be the most populous city in the world, overtaking Tokyo. Yes, the capital is moving to the jungle, but it’s business as usual in the business capital of this enormous country.

Jakarta is famous for its bad traffic, so if it overtakes Tokyo, then it’s going to need a transit system like Tokyo to survive.

Jakarta currently has 5 commuter lines, 2 light rail lines, 1 metro line, and an airport rail link. This is what the urban railway network of Jakarta looks like in 2023 (click here to see the map in its full-size glory).

Meanwhile, this is what the full rail map of Tokyo looks like (you definitely need to see this one in all its full-size glory).

Comparisons are relative, and it is unfair to compare any city to the rail transit of Tokyo. For myself, being based in Ho Chi Minh City with exactly zero urban railways, 9 urban railways would be a dream.

I visited Jakarta in August 2023 and rode the urban railways throughout my trip. This is my trip report on the urban railways and other transport systems in Jakarta.

MRT

Jakarta has one MRT line, which sounds bad if you didn’t know there was already a functioning commuter system. When the MRT opened, the media made it sound like it was the first of any kind of rail transit.

The MRT follows the route of the main north-south road of the city. This is the most logical first route for a metro line in Jakarta. Like any first metro, it’s only going to be useful for a small group of commuters, so reading into passenger numbers is pointless until more lines are added. Ultimately, Jakarta needs a metro system that resembles Tokyo, so the journey of a network that size begins with the first line.

At the moment, the northern terminus is at Bundaran HI (near Hotel Indonesia). This is the centre of modern Jakarta. I usually stay around here, and I have friends in South Jakarta, so the metro does have a useful purpose for my visits. I also just picked stations that looked interesting on the map and went to have a look.

One of the concerns of Jakarta is flooding. I noticed on one of the metro exits what appeared to be a space to place a barrier.

Behind the exit, I found a box that holds the flood barrier. A low-tech solution for what would otherwise be an expensive disaster should water surge to the height of the metro entrance. In an era where unforeseen record rainfalls can overwhelm a metro system, this seems wise.

MRT extension

At the time of my visit, the North-South MRT line was being extended north. The extension will include Glodok (the Chinatown of Jakarta) and Kota (the historic old town area). Chinatown is a run-down and overlooked part of the city, so the metro has the potential to transform this area (or gentrify, if you prefer).

Kota already has a commuter terminal station, but the metro will bring traffic from a different part of the city. Kota Station is one of the loveliest railway stations in Southeast Asia.

I’m also curious if the metro will have the power to transform the old town. Kota is a perennial underachiever when it comes to old towns in Southeast Asia. If this area were in a European city, it would be the star attraction. I always visit Kota to see how it’s going and to see if I would consider staying there. I was moving hotels during this stay, so I had a look around Kota before booking anything. During the day it is buzzing with tourists, but there is not much to do at night and hardly any restaurants. There are so many great old buildings here that are waiting to be renovated. The metro would make it accessible to the new city centre.

MRT information office

I don’t need an excuse to visit the Kota Railway station, but there is now another reason to visit to see the MRT information office.

This room has information about the MRT extension, with displays about the tunnel boring machine and non-boring facts for metro nerds.

The centrepiece of the display is a model showing the underground station between Kota and Glodok. The bottom of this photo shows a model of Kota Station. The metro station is being built under the road, and the tall building in the scale model is on the main street in Chinatown. There is another station called Glodok further down from this station.

The Kota metro project has also turned out to be a bonanza for city archaeologists, as relics from the Batavia era are being excavated. Construction has been delayed while excavation work takes place. There is a display showing finds that span different eras of the city.

Outside Kota station, there is a section where the old pipes are being stored.

Commuter railway

The commuter railway of Jakarta does the heavy lifting of moving provincial commuters in and out of Jakarta every day. I made the mistake of using it after 4 p.m., but at least that gave me a glimpse of what it is like during rush hour.

This is a true commuter railway and not a metro. It connects the neighbouring provinces that have become part of Greater Jakarta. There are long gaps between stations, while a metro system has shorter distances between stops. The trains always have room during the day once the rush hour ends, and the frequencies reflect this lack of demand.

The trains are kept in good condition, and I noticed they are cleaned when arriving at the terminus at Kota.

The downside is that the stations are not built with accessibility in mind. Never mind “Mind The Gap”, in Jakarta, it is “Mind The Gaping Chasm”. The platforms of the commuter stations have these step platforms.

Integrated ticketing between systems, sort of

I bought a stored value card for KAI (the national railway that operates the commuter railway) as I was using that system the most. The MRT is operated by another company and issues its own transit card. The metro does accept KAI cards as payment, and they have two different card readers at the gate. I would prefer one system to rule them all, but this is far better than Bangkok, where you can’t use a BTS card on the MRT.

A great BRT interchange

Jakarta has a decent Bus Rapid Transit system that has superstations on the larger roads that can accommodate them.

One of the best features I discovered was this interchange where the two stations are separated by a large road.

An elevated walkway connects the two BRT stations, and the walkway is split into two. One section is for paid passengers, so you can transfer without having to tap out and tap in again. The other section is for outside passengers who haven’t entered the system yet. A simple but effective solution to creating an interchange when the stations are far apart.

This design made me think about all the station interchanges in Bangkok that could employ this simple system. Of course, Bangkok needs to get the different operators to agree to a unified ticketing system.

Electric bikes

Electric bikes are becoming more prevalent in Southeast Asia, and Gojek plans to replace all gasoline-powered two-wheelers by 2030.

At my local Circle K, there was a battery swap for electric bikes. I noticed it being used whenever I visited the shop.

Electric buses

Jakarta is rolling out an electric bus fleet across the city, and I noticed a few of them during my wanderings. Here is one I saw in peak-hour traffic. I was sharing the footpath with motorbikes doing a Saigon Shortcut (as I call these motorbike riders).

I was in Jakarta during the smogpocalypse, and it is going to take more than a few electric buses to improve the air. Incremental change is welcome, and if you are in traffic on a bike (motor or pedal), it’s nice to be behind one less bus spewing black smoke.

Jabodebek LRT

In addition to the high-speed railway, there is a new LRT line that will connect the city centre to the HSR station. This was also meant to open at the same time as the HSR, and it did open briefly before I arrived. It was then closed when I arrived due to technical issues, then restarted after I arrived. Great timing on my behalf.

Unable to ride the LRT, I visited some of the LRT stations that are near commuter lines.

The first station is Dukuh Atas, near the Sudirman commuter station. It’s near, but not close enough to make an elegant interchange. To their credit, they have built a covered pedestrian walkway that wouldn’t be out of place in Dubai.

The entrance section at Sudirman was still being built when I visited, so I will have to check it out on my next visit.

This thoughtful bit of pedestrian infrastructure gave me a false sense of hope for the walkers of Jakarta. I had a wander around Dukuh Atas station and found that the new road to the station doesn’t include a footpath. Note the tactile paving that leads the walker into the road.

I went to Cawang on the commuter rail to visit Tebet Eco Park. There is an LRT station near Cawang (LRT Cikoko), and it has a long interchange outside of the ticketing area. I saw the LRT being tested at this station, so at least I could say I saw it.

Manggarai

Manggarai is the biggest interchange station for the commuter railway, and it’s going to be the future central station for long-distance trains (but not the high-speed railway). Work is currently underway to expand the station.

Manggarai is still operating as a commuter station, so I ended up here a few times.

There is a display inside the station showing what the future station will look like.

Manggarai is also the terminus of the airport rail link, so it’s going to be a useful transport hub when it’s finished. I wondered if the surrounding area would benefit from this elevation to become the transport hub of Jakarta. The streets around the station are crowded with buildings, and behind the station is a community of houses near a canal. It would be a monumental task to relocate people from here if they did plan to redevelop the area.

High-speed rail and Java

My plan for this trip was to ride the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, but the opening date was delayed after I booked my trip. I didn’t see the high-speed rail on this trip, so I will be back again at some point.