The characteristics of potential passengers of an Indonesian High-Speed Train (case study: Jakarta--Bandung)

Abstract

Indonesia is one of the largest economics compared to others in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with a population of 240 million in 2016. Most of the country's economic and service-related activities are located on the island of Java, which is home to 50% of the population. A good and reliable transport infrastructure is therefore critical to ensuring that the movement of both passengers and goods is efficient, fast, reliable, and safe. The Indonesian government has initiated a High-Speed Train (HST) service to connect Jakarta and Surabaya, two big cities in the west and east of Java, respectively, in order to improve mobility and connectivity on Java. The first phase of the HST project is planned to connect Jakarta and Bandung. This study aims to understand the travel characteristics of potential HST passengers, which is important for predicting demand for the HST. The study conducts roadside interviews using a stated preference methodology for several passenger transport modes serving the Jakarta-Bandung route, namely the private car, 10-seater bus (shuttle), coach, and conventional rail. The survey asks respondents about their potential for shifting from their current transit mode to HST. The HST stations will be located in Halim (Jakarta) and Gedebage (Bandung). The study finds that most of the respondents have good economic welfare. A total of 64% of the respondents agreed that they would pay an HST ticket price of between 200,000 and 300,000 rupiahs to save 90 minutes' travel time. Furthermore, the average amount paid to use a passenger car on the same trip is 200,000 rupiahs, which is slightly higher than the amount paid by a train passenger (Rp. 150,000). This finding demonstrates that the passenger traffic vehicle capitulates the benefit of choosing HST in comparison with the existing transport modes. It should also be noted that there is greater uncertainty with regard to traffic conditions for road traffic in comparison to that faced by railway passengers. In more detail, a sensitivity analysis indicates that passengers traveling from Jakarta could be more easily shifted to the HST than could passengers traveling from Bandung. The fact that those in Jakarta indicate a greater preference to shift to a faster transport mode than those in Bandung indicates that people in Jakarta place a higher value on time. This information is also useful for operational policy, including ticket price differentiation based on travel time period and travel origin-destination.