Surabaya - Going home to hometown has become one of the traditions of the Indonesian people, including during Lebaran or Idul Fitri. The modes of transportation used by the community also vary, but trains are still the most popular.

The results of a survey on the potential for community movement during Lebaran 2024, conducted by the Ministry of Transportation through the Transportation Policy Agency in cooperation with the Central Bureau of Statistics, the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, and a number of experts and academics in the transportation sector, show that 20,3% (39,32 million) of the 193,6 million Indonesian population who have the potential to move during Lebaran 2024 choose trains as their homeward transportation. This mode of transportation is the most popular compared to buses (19,4%), private cars (18,3%) and motorcycles (16,07%).

Well, are you one of those who will choose trains as Lebaran homecoming transportation this year? To make your homecoming trip safe, comfortable, and smooth when using the train, let's look at the following tips from the Head of BTP Class I Surabaya, Mr. Nurhadi Unggul Wibowo.

"The first tip is to plan your trip in advance. One of them is to buy tickets long before departure," said Nurhadi at the BTP Class I Surabaya office on Thursday, 4 April 2024.

This first step is very important to get tickets that fit your budget. Not to mention that as the day of Eid approaches, the availability of train tickets usually becomes more limited. BTP Surabaya friends certainly don't want to fail to get home because they ran out of tickets?

"Second, bring only the necessary items because PT KAI has special rules regarding baggage. So don't let your friends be surprised if they are charged extra for excess baggage," he continued.

Do you know the rules regarding the volume and dimensions of luggage that passengers can carry on the train? If not, please refer to the following regulations taken from PT KAI's official website:

1. The maximum weight of luggage that can be carried by each passenger on the train is 20 kg with a maximum volume of 100 dm3 and maximum dimensions of 70 cm x 48 cm x 30 cm. And each passenger is only allowed to carry a maximum of 4 collections (pieces of luggage).

2. If your baggage exceeds these regulations, there is an additional charge for the baggage to be carried on the train. For executive class trains, the rate is IDR 10.000/kg, business class IDR 6.000/kg and economy class IDR 2.000/kg.

3. If your luggage weighs more than 40 kg or 200 dm3 (70 cm x 48 cm x 60 cm), it is not allowed to be taken into the train cabin. The solution is to use a freight forwarder.

4. Not all items can be transported as baggage. Items that may not be transported as baggage include surfboards, animals, psychotropic drugs/other addictive substances, firearms and sharp weapons, flammable/explosive items, foul-smelling or odoriferous items, and items whose condition and size are deemed inappropriate for transportation as baggage by an official, and other items are prohibited by law or regulation.

5. Be careful, passengers who are caught carrying goods whose weight or size exceeds the regulations and who do not have a baggage certificate will be fined. The fine is Rp50,.000/5kg for executive class trains, Rp30.000/5kg for commercial business/economy class, and Rp15.000/5kg for non-commercial economy class.

"In addition, travelers who plan to use advanced transportation are advised to get complete information in advance," Nurhadi said.

So only go home by train with enough 'provisions'. Start by finding out about the choice of advanced transportation you want to use, the route, and the price. The goal is for you to avoid various undesirable things on the way to your hometown.

Finally, always take care of your luggage so that everything is intact and recovered. Also, keep valuables such as wallets, jewelry, smartphones, or laptops in a safe place. If anything is left behind or lost on the train, immediately ask for help from the Railway Special Police (Polsuska) on duty.

"Happy homecoming for BTP Surabaya friends who want to go home by train during Lebaran 2024. I hope the friends can go home cheerfully and meaningfully, travel safely and comfortably, and arrive safely at their destination," Nurhadi concluded.

#NSA