passangers #03

passangers #02

passangers #01

getting on and off the train (the hazards)

[En] Getting on and off the train can be a lethal hazard in smaller railway stations with no elevated platforms.



[Id] Di stasiun-stasiun kecil yang tidak memiliki peron yang ditinggikan, naik turun kereta bisa menjadi kegiatan yang mengancam keselamatan jiwa penumpang.

what safety?

platformless

Location: Padalarang, west of Bandung.

andir

This is Andir, a small railway station in the western part of the city of Bandung, from the open doors of a commuter train.

thanks cell phone!

Waiting for the KRD commuter train can be a tedious thing to do.

Location: Gado Bangkong, a suburban railway station in the west of Bandung.

passing

An old passanger of the KRD commuter train sitting by the open door and looking out at the passing scene.

The KRD can probably be described as a "pariah" train. Crowded, dirty, smelly and heavily populated by panhandlers, this train is nevertheless a popular mode of transportation among the masses because it is very cheap and because there aren't many other better and economical options available. One only needs to pay IDR 1000 (about USD 10 cents), for example, to travel between the satellite town of Padalarang (18 kilometers to the west of Bandung) and the city.

Like all other Indonesian cities, Bandung currently still does not have a working mass transportation system.

getting on and off the train

Getting on and off the commuter train is a harzardous thing in this city. Passangers getting on board don't usually wait for those alighting it. Everybody rushes. In addition to this, the passangers' platforms at most of the stations are not at the level of the train's doorways but at the level of the rail. It's hazardous for the able-bodied people much less for children and the elderly. And it's certainly is almost impossible for the disable.

I took the above photo at Gado Bangkong commuter train station in the west of Bandung.

impossibly romantic

The sticker on the rear window of that angkot (lit. city transport) reads "romantis" (romantic). But of course there is nothing romantic about a means of public transportation that can stop to pick up and drop off passangers anywhere, even at the pedestrian crossing like the one you see on the photo. Angkot is a necessary headache to the city. It provides the necessary means of mass transportation that many need and don't otherwise have any other choices. However, it's erratic behavior is one of the main sources of traffic congestions and chaos, which over the long run will be too expensive to bear by the city and its citizens.

yippee! (viva PERSIB)

These PERSIB (Bandung football team) supporters from the satellite town of Padalarang in the west of Bandung used the KRD commuter train to go into the city and watch their favorite team play. Along the way they would do this and shout and tout "viva PERSIB!".

joyful madness

Getting on the roof of a moving train is not cool. These youngsters seem to think the opposite though. These suburban kids are the fans of PERSIB (Bandung's beloved soccer team). They were on their way to watching their favorite soccer team playing in town.

trying to fit in a 'becak'

Two women are trying to fit in a 'becak' (pedicab) at Pasar Baru area.