eMShi Blog

After reading the writing of one of our fs-ers bout the Jakarta express railway train, i began to think bout how our ideal Mass Rapid Transportation (MRT) should be? May it already exist around us, or in our neighbour country perhaps; and should it be in the form of bus, railway/train, or "flying machine"; taking place under ground, on the ground, over the ground, or "in the sky".

IMO it should meet these dimensions:
1. Should be able to carry so many people as possible, but not "crowded".
2. Should be comfort.
3. Should be secure.
4. Should be timely.
5. Should be pricely affordable.
in addition 6. Make every person who drive his/her car be willingly to convert his/her transportation to MRT.

For this discussion, we’re talking about transportation that carry people to work daily, so we won’t talk about airplane as an MRT, as it is not a daily work mode of transportation.

Currently, the most famous MRT in Jakarta is KRL/railway train — the economic train. It is far from ideal, as it is ultra crowded in busy hours. I use the word "ultra" instead of "extra" just to figure how crowded it is. If you have a chance to ride it in busy hours, you may have your body, arms, and legs not positioned as they should be, as you cannot stand perfectly, not even comfortly. Feel of secure would be loss too, so you should be extra careful. The only advantage of it, only is affordable price. Let wish, that the train become more humanly in the future.

Another type of KRL is the express train. It much more comfortable than the economic one, but the price is a premium one, and only some people can afford it.

If we ever visited S’pore, we may like its subway, in coincidence it named MRT or something sounds like that. From the ticketing, get on/off train in secure/convenience way (there is a mirror that separate the railway and passenger area so relatively safe for passenger not to fall into the railway), warning when the door going to be closed, and the information bout destination and stopping station.

In Jakarta, the system would be quite like the Bus Way, the difference is it is on the ground and using bus instead of under ground and using train. Regarding its track may disrupt other road users, busway may be consider as an ideal transportation that we have today. It’s line should be rearranged, so it won’t disrupt so much, especially in the cross road/stop lights.

So what we have now, and how should it be? Let’s dream and have it "now" or in the future..