He arrived at the train station at 8:40 a.m. local time along with several cabinet members, related government officials, and state-owned railway operator PT KAI President Director Didiek Hartantyo.
Shortly thereafter, Jokowi got into one of the carriages of the Serayu Train serving the Jakarta-Purwokerto route and engaged in conversations with several passengers.
He conveyed greetings to passengers who would celebrate Eid festivities with their family members and relatives in their hometowns.
He told journalists that the railway operation had run smoothly during the Eid exodus season.
"Everything runs smoothly and is well managed. I do not see passengers jostling against one another. All look fine," he remarked.
Jokowi highlighted the importance of focusing on the handling of homebound trips at Merak Ferry Port in Banten Province and homecoming travelers returning home by motorcycle.
ANTARA earlier reported that thousands of homecomers traveling by car to various destinations on Sumatra Island experienced a 19-kilometer-long gridlock heading to the Merak Port from Saturday evening to Sunday morning.
Rahmat, a traveler from Jakarta, stated on early Sunday that he struggled for 15 hours to be able to reach the Merak Ferry Port and braced for getting transported by a ferry vessel to Lampung's Bakauheni Port.
A joint survey conducted by the Transportation Ministry and the Communication and Informatics Ministry revealed that 193.6 million residents are expected to travel during the Eid holiday season.
State-owned toll road operator PT Jasa Marga had projected that the peak of this year's Eid homebound exodus will be recorded on April 6, 2024, with around 259 thousand vehicles passing through four main toll gates.
The four toll gates are Cikampek Utama, Kalihurip Utama (Trans Java and Bandung), Ciawi (heading to Puncak resort), and Cikupa (heading to Merak ferry port).
Meanwhile, the peak of outbound Eid travel is expected on April 15, with about 300,000 vehicles passing through the four toll gates.
To ensure the smooth flow of cars on toll roads during the Eid holiday season, Jasa Marga announced that it has temporarily suspended e-toll card expiry.
An e-toll card expires when a user exceeds twice the normal travel time on a toll road. Thereafter, the card cannot be used to open automatic exit barriers.
Expired cards need to be reactivated with the help of a toll gate worker for toll fee payment.
Muhammadiyah, Indonesia's second-largest Muslim organization after Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), has determined that Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, will fall on April 10, 2024.
Related news: Manpower Minister asks companies to run free Eid homecoming programs
Related news: Manpower ministry dispatches 7,000 homecoming participants
Translator: Andi F, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Anton Santoso
Copyright © ANTARA 2024
