Viral Trains, the Creation of Balai Yasa Manggarai

Balai Yasa Manggarai, located at Jalan Bukit Duri Utara No.1, South Jakarta, is one of the important facilities in the railway world in Indonesia. Balai Yasa Manggarai is one of several Balai Yasa owned by KAI. This place has become a specialized workshop responsible for the maintenance of executive, business, economy, generator cars, and various other types of trains that require final maintenance, semi-final maintenance, and complete overhauls. In addition, Balai Yasa Manggarai is also actively involved in train modification. So, if previously Balai Yasa Manggarai was synonymous with maintenance and repair activities, now its activities are no longer limited to that. Today, Balai Yasa Manggarai is also a place for KAI personnel to create new innovations in railway rolling stock.

KAI once again presents innovations that delight its customers. Two trains that recently became the center of public attention, especially netizens on social media, were successfully created by KAI personnel at Balai Yasa Manggarai. These trains went viral across various social media platforms. Various accounts, from influencer accounts to news portal accounts, have discussed both trains.

The first is the New Generation Economy Train. This train, officially launched by KAI on September 26, 2023, was created by KAI personnel at Balai Yasa Manggarai. The development process of the New Generation Economy Train began with collecting customer feedback during the Balai Yasa Manggarai open house at the 77th anniversary event of KAI last year. This concept came purely from Balai Yasa Manggarai, and although they had limited resources, they continued learning to be able to design independently. The New Generation Economy Train project is a response to public complaints about train services and reflects KAI’s commitment to meeting customer needs.

“The development of this train involved the entire Balai Yasa Manggarai team. Across generations, from junior to senior staff, from various positions. Everyone contributed. Although the project faced many challenges, the Balai Yasa Manggarai team remained enthusiastic in transforming the face of railway services,” said EVP Balai Yasa Manggarai Irwansyah.

In addition to responding to input from KAI customer service data, the background of this train development was Balai Yasa Manggarai’s desire to improve its service level. At the initial stage of modifying the economy class train, the team tried to put themselves in the position of economy class passengers at that time. Sitting upright at a 90-degree angle, facing and knee-to-knee with other passengers for more than four hours of travel was certainly tiring. This became the trigger for the Balai Yasa Manggarai team to continue thinking and exploring ideas, resulting in a more comfortable new economy train design.

One of the most important aspects of the New Generation Economy Train is design transformation. All elements of the train, from seats to air conditioning systems, were redesigned with a modern touch. In addition to the seats, upgrades were also made by adding a Public Information Display System (PIDS) that displays time and temperature.

At the beginning of the New Generation economy train design work, KAI was still affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. This forced KAI to tighten its budget. Budget efficiency was implemented in all aspects, including train maintenance. However, this did not make KAI personnel, especially the Balai Yasa Manggarai team, remain passive.

“This condition actually made us more creative in innovating and empowering resources to optimize technical capabilities by creating independent design and production lines,” said Irwan.

This made Balai Yasa Manggarai not only focus on maintenance but also upgrade into independent production, especially for electrical and mechanical equipment, including designing and producing electrical systems, complete air conditioning systems, and mechanical components using available tools and expertise. For the New Generation economy train, this includes:

Independent design and assembly of complete AC units, flow design, ducting, electric control panels, public information display, logic controller, and others
Production of components from complete design results implemented and manufactured by Balai Yasa Manggarai technicians independently, becoming the foundation of the New Generation Economy Train
Selection of materials, design, and mechanical components such as walls, luggage compartments, interior components, and mock-ups of passenger rooms and toilets for a more ergonomic and comfortable economy train showcased at the 78th KAI anniversary open house in 2023

From the maintenance upgrading process, the Balai Yasa Manggarai team handled this project independently with efficiency-driven budgeting, from concept design to physical implementation, aiming to transform the economy train experience into something more aligned with public needs and expectations, providing added value for economy class passengers.

In the initial phase, four economy train units were modified by the Balai Yasa Manggarai team. The next phase of modification, involving eight train units, was completed within two months. Going forward, the team will gradually modify all economy trains into New Generation Economy trains, totaling 112 units within two years.

“We truly want to present something different, and this work of the nation’s children is purely for the people,” said Irwan.

In addition to the New Generation Economy Train, another newly viral train that has shocked the internet is the Suite Class Compartment Train. This train, officially launched on October 10, 2023, provides a luxurious and exclusive travel experience similar to first-class airline services. With comfortable seats, private facilities, and exceptional service, the Suite Class Compartment Train is an ideal choice for customers seeking a memorable journey.

The development process of the Suite Class Compartment Train was relatively fast, taking only five months from initial planning to implementation. This is a notable achievement because the entire process was carried out purely by talented KAI personnel at Balai Yasa Manggarai.

“In the idea-finding process, one day we, the Balai Yasa Manggarai team, spent the entire day watching YouTube, observing first-class services from a leading international airline, seeking inspiration and possibilities for implementing such services in trains,” said Irwan.

However, during implementation, Irwansyah and his team wanted the final product to retain a strong Indonesian cultural identity. This was reflected in the interior design of the Suite Class Compartment train, from the ceiling to the walls.

“At first, we were hesitant when the President Director challenged us to complete the compartment train project in five months. But that challenge actually made us more motivated. I feel very moved and proud of the Balai Yasa Manggarai team because we proved that we could do it!” Irwan expressed.

The operational launch of these two viral trains became a major achievement for KAI, especially the Balai Yasa Manggarai team. It also proves that KAI provides opportunities for its employees to grow and innovate, generating outstanding ideas and collaborating across generations to bring them to life.

“We are very grateful that the Board of Directors and related units at KAI provided great support throughout the process. We hope the results of this hard work can be accepted and enjoyed by the public, especially KAI customers. We listen to every complaint and suggestion from customers and continuously strive to improve our services,” Irwan explained.

With ongoing transformation and innovation, Indonesia’s railway system continues to develop and is ready to better meet public needs in the future. The spirit of service and innovation remains at the core of KAI’s journey in improving railway service quality in Indonesia.