I recently received some news from an Indonesian railfan. My thanks go to Faris Fadhli, who kindly sent me his recent photos.
On November 11th, PT Kereta Commuter Indonesia (KCI) held a farewell event for the 8500 series, 7000 series, and 203 series EMUs at Jakarta Kota Station.
I knew this day would come sooner or later, but it has finally arrived. These EMUs are unforgettable trains for me—both in Indonesia and in Japan. The 8500 series is the former Tokyu 8500 series, the 7000 series is the former Tokyo Metro 7000 series, and the 203 series is the former JR East 203 series. They were transferred from Japan to Indonesia between 2006 and 2011. After nearly 20 years of service in Indonesia, they have now reached their final chapter.
As I have written several times, I was stationed in Jakarta from 2007 to 2011 as an exploration geologist for a petroleum and natural gas company, living away from my family. Even when work was tough, nothing made me happier than spending weekends enjoying the railways with local railfans. These trains truly gave me energy. Thank you. Terima kasih. Arigato!
I also would like to express my gratitude to Indonesian railway employees and railfans. I was moved to see the EMUs beautifully decorated with farewell stickers. On top of that, I was surprised and touched that the above railfan, Faris Fadhli, and his friend Adam held an exhibition inside an 8500 series EMU. Their enthusiasm really impressed me.
From the next post, I will introduce the trains that were exhibited, along with my own memories. To be continued…
