According to Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, who visited the railway station on Sunday (December 24) evening, the total number of passengers could reach 700 thousand during this year's Christmas and year-end holiday season.
"Last year, some 600 thousand passengers were recorded to depart from this Pasar Senen train station," he noted in a press statement published on his ministry's website.
The increase in the number of passengers was "significant and more productive," as the number of those leaving Jakarta and entering the metropolitan city was relatively similar, he stated.
In general, the number of train passengers departing from Pasar Senen and Gambir train stations went up this year, he remarked, adding that the "Operational Region" 1 Jakarta provides 773 thousand seats for travelers.
Thus, during this year's Christmas and New Year holiday season, which runs from December 21, 2023 to January 7, 2024, state railway operator PT KAI of the "Operational Region" 1 Jakarta provides 42,958 seats per day, he stated.
A total of 166,592 passengers had departed from the Pasar Senen train station on December 21-24 to cities, such as Cirebon, Bandung, Semarang, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, and Malang, he said.
Meanwhile, several hundred thousand travelers have hit the road during this Christmas and New Year holiday season, as 69,930 cars had departed from Jakarta for the Trans Java toll road on Friday (December 23) and Saturday.
Of the figure, 51,082 vehicles left Jakarta on Saturday, while 18,848 others departed from the city on Friday, according to the police spokesperson for the Operation Candle 2023 Sen. Coms. Tjahyono Saputro.
They headed to the Trans Java toll road through the Cikampek Utama toll gate in West Java, he noted, adding that the figure was recorded during the two-day implementation of "Operasi Lilin" (Operation Candle).
Regarding this year's Christmas and year-end exodus period, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has planned to release a disaster susceptibility map for regional governments and those going road-tripping.
The map charts areas vulnerable to flooding, landslides, and extreme weather, according to BNPB head Lt General Suharyanto.
Speaking at a ministerial meeting here recently, he stated that the map would hopefully help holidaymakers remain alert for any disaster risk in the places they pass through or visit.
The provision of the guide maps is part of the agency's disaster preparedness and mitigation-related efforts to reduce the impacts of natural disasters, Suharyanto added.
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Translator: Indra AP, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Tia Mutiasari
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