Jakarta is a metropolitan city with more than 10.56 million inhabitants. Transportation infrastructure plays an important role as a means of citizen mobility. Rail-based mass transit infrastructure is one of the solutions to the problem of road congestion.

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics data, every day, more than 336.27 million commuters go in and out of Jakarta. This number has decreased significantly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to 154.59 million. But this is not a small number. Now that Indonesia has begun to emerge from the pandemic, the improving conditions are increasing the number of commuters every day.

With a little information, traces of increased mobility among capital city residents began to appear since the implementation of restrictions on community activities, or PPKM, at level 2 at the end of March 2022. Community mobility during PPKM level 2 (March 29–April 4, 2022) is seen to increase when compared to PPKM level 3 (March 1–7, 2022), and it is assessed that this number will continue to increase as the situation progresses towards the new normal.

Manggarai Station (MRI) is a large class A train station located in Manggarai Village, Tebet District, South Jakarta. This station is the largest train station in DKI Jakarta, with an area of ± 2.47 ha. The station was built in 198, and has witnessed changes in the mobility patterns of the people of the capital city.

In 2016, the Directorate General of Railways of the Ministry of Transportation began to develop Manggarai Station. The station began to be renovated by adding new buildings with minimalist, futuristic, modern architecture to as many as three floors:

The first floor of the station is the emplacement of the commuter line KRL and the airport line KRL.

The 2nd floor is a place for the movement of passenger flow and the provision of passenger facilities.

The 3rd floor is used for Bogor Line KRL stops and also for long-distance trains.

The old station building, which is a relic of Staatsspoorwegen, will be maintained because of its status as cultural heritage based on Governor Decree No. 475 Th. 1993, March 29, 1993; Minister of Tourism No. 011/M/1999, January 12, 1999; and Minister of Tourism Decree No. PM.13/PW.007: PM.13/PW.007/MKP/05, April 25, 2005.

The progress of the construction of the west side of Manggarai station has been carried out since 2016 and was completed in mid-2020, but to complete the needs of operational support services and integration needs with other intermodal modes (Trans Jakarta), this station was only operated in September 2021.

The implementation of Phase 1 Manggarai Station Development includes the construction of the West Side Manggarai Station, which includes buildings along with the emplacement of the Bogor line and the Airport Railway line, as well as the construction of integration facilities in the form of a skybridge.

In addition, the implementation of Phase 2 of Manggarai Station construction includes the construction of the East Side of Manggarai Station, which includes buildings and emplacements for commuter lines and long-distance train lines. This phase 2 work is still ongoing and is targeted to be completed by the end of 2025.

It is planned that Manggarai Station will become the first central station in Indonesia, with a target of serving more than 2 million KRL passengers per day. Manggarai Station is a hub station for seven railroad crossings consisting of railroad lines leading to Jatinegara, direction to Jakarta Kota, direction to Tanah Abang, direction to Bogor, direction to Bukit Duri KRL depot, direction to the Inventory Warehouse Center, and direction to Balai Yasa Manggarai. This made Manggarai Station the busiest station, serving more than 20,000 passengers and 616 KRL trips every day before the pandemic.

Manggarai Station was chosen as the central station because of its strategic position and its vital role in supporting train services in the capital city. With the high train traffic at Manggarai Station today and unraveling the bottlenecks that often occur. In addition to its strategic location at the center of community movement, Manggarai also provides not only KRL services but also KAJJ integration, airport trains, and Trans Jakarta buses.

Manggarai Central Station will have 18 active lines, all of which will serve long-distance trains, Jabodetabek KRL, and airport trains, making it easier for people to change train services in one station building. Eight (8) of the 18 lines will be located on the ground floor and 10 elevated lines on the 2nd floor, while the 1st floor functions as a concourse.

In the ultimate development stage, Manggarai Station will also be equipped with 14 elevators and 14 escalators to support passenger movement. In addition to the addition of lines, there will also be an increase in the area of open space at Manggarai Station as a meeting place for people passing through the area (concourse) from what is currently built. The concourse will be twice as wide as it is now, so people will be more comfortable when doing transit and other activities inside the station. [sfw]