Cikarang (31/03) – After being revitalized and operated to serve rail service users, Cikarang Station was inaugurated by the Minister of Transportation and the Minister of Finance on Thursday (31/03). This activity also inaugurated the integration between intermodal in the form of feeder buses and long-distance trains served by this station.

After the revitalization, Cikarang Station can serve local, long-distance, and commuter trains. It is noted that since its operation, Cikarang Station has been able to operate 24 long-distance train trips, 12 local train trips, and 92 commuter train trips every day. This number is an achievement from the revitalization development of Cikarang Station, which has almost doubled the number of previous trips.

In line with the increase in the number of train trips served by Cikarang Station, the number of passengers using this station is also increasing. At the beginning of 2022, daily passengers for commuter train services at Cikarang Station skyrocketed to 28,000 passengers per day from only 5000 passengers per day. The increase also occurred in local train service passengers, which recorded a jump from 500 passengers per day to 2000-3000 passengers per day. Meanwhile, long-distance train services at Cikarang Station reach an average of 400 people per day.

The increase in the number of passengers at Cikarang Station is inseparable from the increase made by the Ministry of Transportation through the Directorate General of Railways (DJKA). Improvements and revitalization at Cikarang Station were carried out as part of the Manggarai-Cikarang Double-Double Track (DDT) project. When this project is completed, there will be four railway lines to separate long-distance trains from commuter trains.

In the context of the construction of Cikarang Station, DJKA started work on revitalizing this station in 2015 for Phase I for the South side and continued with Phase II for the North side in 2019. Broadly speaking, the scope of work that DJKA has carried out in revitalizing Cikarang Station covers the building, rail, civil, railway signaling systems, and overhead power works.

The total budget absorbed for the revitalization of Cikarang Station reached Rp. 412,297,246,931,-. The amount of the budget includes PHLN Loan JICA No. IP - 508 Year 2012 - 2017 with an allocation of Rp. 264,186,980,000,- and SBSN for Fiscal Year 2019 - 2021 with an allocation of Rp. 148,310,266,931,-.

In addition, the Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi, in his speech, also said that the SBSN budget allocation at the Directorate General of Railways started in 2013, amounting to Rp 800 billion. Until 2022 the SBSN budget allocation received by the Directorate General of Railways has reached Rp 45,734,868,376. 600,-. Percentage comparison of SBSN budget allocation and pure rupiah capital expenditure received

The Directorate General of Railways from 2013 to 2022 was an average of 49.22%. In this case, the Minister of Transportation Budi expressed his appreciation and gratitude to the Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani for the funding support provided.

Through this revitalization work, the appearance of Cikarang Station has become more modern and magnificent with a larger capacity. This capacity increase was carried out by adding two platforms to four platforms. Thus, eight active rail lines can be operated to serve commuter trains, local trains, and long-distance trains.

In addition, the station service building also expanded to 2,067.9 m2 and changed the level crossing to an overpass on the second floor of the station building. Changing the level crossing in the station area to an overpass is carried out to ensure the safety and security of rail service users. The reason is, with the increase in the capacity of stations and lines, the frequency of trains that pass will also be higher. So that if the passengers are allowed to pass through the active railway line, it is feared that it will be life-threatening and potentially cause fatalities.

In a further development, the second floor of the Cikarang Station building is also prepared to become a commercial area. Later, prospective passengers waiting for their train departures will be able to fill their time by shopping at the stalls available in the concourse area. The hope is that in addition to pampering users of train services, the presence of these kiosks is also expected to support the operation of Cikarang Station.

To ensure public access to and from Cikarang Station, DJKA has also coordinated with related parties to provide intermodal integration in the form of DAMRI bus services. This DAMRI bus service will later connect Cikarang Station with the center of the industrial area in JABABEKA and its surroundings. It is hoped that intermodal integration at Cikarang Station can support accessibility to industrial areas to encourage economic improvement and productivity of the surrounding community. (HJA)