Jakarta (09/03) - As one of the efforts to alleviate congestion at Manggarai Station, particularly during peak hours, the Ministry of Transportation, through the Directorate General of Railways (DJKA), is currently constructing additional manual stairs at the station. During a press conference held at the Ministry of Transportation Headquarters in Jakarta on Wednesday (8/3), Director General of Railways Risal Wasal announced that construction of five new stairs at Manggarai Station has commenced.

"To alleviate the congestion at Manggarai Station, particularly during peak hours, we have initiated the construction of five additional manual stairs at Manggarai Station from the concourse floor to the ground floor platform on platform lines 6 and 7, followed by platform lines 8 and 9," said Risal at the Ministry of Transportation Headquarters in Jakarta on Wednesday (8/3). Risal further explained that DJKA will build these additional stairs on the north and south sides of Manggarai Station. One southern hanging steel staircase has already been completed and is now available for passengers to use.

Risal is optimistic that the construction of these additional stairs can be completed in the next few weeks. "Later, when the construction of all these additional stairs is completed, we hope that this effort will be able to help expedite the transit process as well as be an alternative solution for passenger transfer," said Risal. Moreover, currently passenger transfer activities are still centered on existing stairs, escalators and elevators, especially at the peak of busy activities around 6-9 am and 3-8 pm.

 Risal also explained that in the midst of the ongoing revitalization process of Manggarai Station as a Central Station, there are a number of challenges in accelerating the construction of additional stairs. "As a mitigation effort in accelerating the construction of these additional stairs, we have involved assistance from contractors so that as soon as possible the additional stairs that we build can immediately operate," said Risal.

 Furthermore, Risal said that challenges arose due to the staircase construction work carried out on active railroad tracks and in the midst of passenger transit activities. "So that the staircase construction process does not interfere with KRL services in Manggarai, the work can only be done during the station window time, which is above 9pm to 4am," said Risal. In addition, the construction process of the five additional stairs cannot be done in parallel because it is feared that it will interfere with passenger comfort.

 In terms of specifications, the manual stairs built by DJKA use full steel material weighing up to 8-9 tons. According to Risal, the selection of steel material has advantages in terms of faster processing time and has a longer lifetime with higher durability than the construction of manual stairs made of concrete.

 DJKA is currently developing Manggarai Station to become the first Central Station in Indonesia, with a target to be fully operational by 2025. "We will continue to conduct continuous evaluations with all relevant stakeholders so that in the ongoing development process, KRL services at Manggarai Station can continue to run optimally," said Risal.

 Risal also appreciated those who have been actively providing attention, input, and suggestions to improve the construction of Manggarai Station. He also asked for support from the community to ensure the smooth construction of additional stairs and the development of Manggarai Station in the future. "We will continue to work with all stakeholders to conduct evaluations and ensure that KRL services at Manggarai Station can run optimally," Risal added. (JM/HJA/DA)