A Public Transportion Tale of Two Cities

Millions of Jakartans commute from their homes in the suburbs to the city center and back again on a daily basis, many of them preferring to use their own cars rather than public transportation – adding to the often unbearable road congestion. 

But with the establishment of the capital’s first MRT in late March this year, there is now a viable alternative to one’s own four wheels: the first line of the MRT runs from Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta to Bundaran HI in the center of the city every five minutes from 5 AM until midnight, with 13 stations along the way and plans to gradually expand the NRT network over the coming years.

In Germany’s capital Berlin, on the other hand, the first metro line was opened in 1902. Today, there are 10 different lines in total, used by more than 560 million people every year. In addition, the local transport network is completed by regional and city trains as well as trams and buses. 

Berlin’s transport policy focuses on strengthening sustainability, especially in regards to bicycle and pedestrian traffic, as well as local public transport – and the effort has been rewarded: more and more people refrain from using a car, doing their part to improve air quality, support climate protection and reduce noise pollution.

 A new exhibition, organized by Rumah Budaya Indonesia Berlin in collaboration with the Berlin Senate Chancellery, shows the works of two young Indonesia photographers who have captured daily scenes in and around Jakarta’s MRT and Berlin’s metro system, offering a fresh perspective of the two cities and a colorful glimpse into the life of commuters. 

 “Railways and trains are an important marker of the civilization of a particular country or society”, said Arif Havas Oegrosono, the Indonesian Ambassador to Germany, at the opening of the exhibition, which is part of the activities revolving around the 25-year-anniversary of Berlin and Jakarta as sister cities. 

 “When you have railways and trains, you have connectivity and the mobility of people, which expands their outlook and their network. It encourages traveling, learning about and meeting other people,” he explained, adding that he often uses the metro and trains in Germany as well, especially when traveling to other cities on official business.

 “I sincerely hope this exhibition will give us an [insight into] the new development in Indonesia as well as the old existing metro system in Berlin,” he said. 

 The two photographers, namely Reiza Nurrafi, a social media designer and digital marketing consultant based in Jakarta, and Muhamad Putera Wicaksana, who has been living and studying in Berlin since 2015, both enjoy a large following on Instagram and have each contributed ten photographs to the exhibition – some reflective, others humorous, but all with a great eye for detail.

 “It was quite challenging to take some good photographs of the MRT in Jakarta as the security guards are very strict,” Reiza recalled, adding that working on this project was the first time for him to explore the subject matter artistically.

 Putera, on the other hand, has a penchant for architecture, design and urban landscapes, and the Berlin metro is a prominent feature on his Instagram account. Having been a resident of Germany’s capital for more than four years, getting around the city by using public transportation has become a daily routine for him. However, during a recent visit to Jakarta, he was finally able to try the MRT for the first time.

“Of course, the network of Berlin’s metro is much more extensive, but I was very impressed with Jakarta’s MRT as well,” he explained. “It’s still new and very clean – a the moment, much cleaner than the metro in Berlin.”

This article was first published in the Jakarta Post on October 8, 2019.