SOLO. The Surakarta administration has decided to reduce the operation of the steam-fueled tourist train Jaladara, locally known as Sepur Kluthuk, from eight to four times a month, due to an increase in the rent of the train.

With the new policy, which is effective from this month, the train will only serve a maximum of 70 trips of 5.6 kilometers each for the whole year, a decrease from 86 trips in 2013.

Surakarta Transportation Communication and Information Agency (Dishubkominfo) head Yosca Herman Soedradjad said the policy was taken because the state-owned railway company PT KAI had increased the rent of the train to Rp 1 billion (US$1.3 million) per 86 trips while the allotted fund in the city’s budget for the service was only Rp 796 million.

 “We’ve found it difficult to pay for the rent hike,” said Yosca recently.

The Jaladara train comprises a unit of the German-made locomotive C 1218 serial, made in 1893 and two units of passenger coaches, serial TR 144 and TR 16, made of teak wood. The coaches were produced in 1909 and were made in the Netherlands.

The steam-fueled train has been rented by the city administration since 2009, during the term of then mayor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, now Jakarta governor, and has been known as a tourist icon of the city.

It is for this reason that the administration has decided to continue the contract, although financially the operation of the train does not generate profit.

The operational cost of a trip is Rp 8 million, while the tour package sold for 80 passengers per trip is only Rp 3.5 million, which also includes traditional snacks, traditional herbal drinks (jamu) and music during the trip. The train requires four cubic meters of teak wood to operate its engine per trip.

Unfortunately, of the 86 trips served by the train, only 30 were fully paid for by tourists. The rest are usually for social events or free trips.

Surakarta Mayor FX Hadi Rudyatmo said the operation of Jaladara as a tourist attraction had not been carried out optimally.

With a status as a branding medium for the city’s tourism industry, the train should have been maximized to lure more tourists and not to serve a social function, he said.

 “The Jaladara has been part of Solo’s tourist transportation,” said Hadi, referring to the popular nickname of Surakarta. (Kusumasari Ayuningtyas)

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Editor: Asnil Amri