H-6 Ahead Of The Christmas Holiday, Train Passengers Rise 41.56 Percent

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation Adita Irawati. (Photo: Doc. ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) noted that the movement of train passengers nationally on D-6 ahead of the Christmas holiday began to be crowded.

In fact, the number increased 41.56 percent compared to the same period last year.

"Based on temporary data, compared to other mass transportation modes, the highest number of train passengers was around 162,000 passengers on Tuesday," said Transportation Ministry Spokesperson Adita Irawati in an official statement, Thursday, December 21.

Adita estimates that the number of passengers on mass transportation will continue to increase until the peak of the first homecoming flow is predicted to occur on December 22 and 23, 2023.

"During the Christmas and New Year holidays last year, the peak movement of mass transport passengers including trains occurred on December 23, 2022, with the number of passengers reaching more than 157,000 passengers," said Adita.

In addition to train passengers, Adita said the number of ship passengers had also begun to be crowded, totaling more than 69,000 passengers, an increase of 17.83 percent compared to the same period last year.

Adita said the movement of passengers who were still good at H-6 was road transportation (124,000 more passengers or decreased 9.3 percent). Then, crossings (81,000 more passengers or decreased 38.83 percent), and air (159,000 more passengers or decreased 29.15 percent) were observed to have decreased compared to the same period last year.

Furthermore, Adita also said that on the previous D-6, there had been an accident on the KM IRMA ILAHI ship that hit a coral in the waters of the Bahodopi Sea, Bahodopi District, Morowali Regency, at 21.45 WITA.

The Morowali SAR team has been dispatched to the scene using personnel trucks and rubber boats, expected to arrive on Wednesday, December 20, 2023, at 01.40 WITA. Currently, it is still unknown about the number and data of accident victims," he said.

To anticipate extreme weather, the Ministry of Transportation also appealed to the need for alertness of officers and passengers to the risk of floods and landslides on road and train transportation.

"As well as high waves, clouds, and strong winds on crossing, sea, and air transportation," he explained.