As anybody who rides the KRL Commuterline is probably well aware, most of the locomotives people use to get around Jakarta actually come to us secondhand from Japan (which some might say is a bad thing, but many others would say second-hand machines from Japan are better than brand new ones from most other countries).
In fact, since the year 2000, KA Commuter Jabodetabek has purchased about 500 used “205 series” train cars from Japan to keep up with demand in the Indonesian capital. The few remaining 205 trains made their final trips along Japan’s Nambu Line in early December before being decommissioned and packed up for their overseas trips to Jakarta.
On December 6, the very last of those 205 series Nambu Line train was pulling into Musashi-Nakahara Station for its final Japanese station stop ever. To mark the occasion, the train’s conductor made this announcement (translation via Rocketnews24):
“This train that you are currently riding will retire as of today from service on the JR Nambu Line. It will continue active service from here on in Jakarta, Indonesia. We will arrive at the Musashi-Nakahara Station terminus in a few moments. Please make sure that you take all of your belongings with you as you exit the train. We sincerely hope that you take all of your happy memories of being on this train home with you for safekeeping as well.”
His words apparently struck quite an emotional chord with the passengers, with some going on Twitter to say “His speech touched me” and “I cried out loud”. (Yeah, we think some of the impact of the conductor’s speech might’ve gotten lost in translation, but a cute story nonetheless).
Hopefully Jakarta KRL Commuterline passengers that will ride that train in the future will be able to appreciate the affection that the conductor and his passengers had for it. Even if they don’t know about the conductor’s speech, their hearts will certainly be warmed by the train’s interior, which will apparently be decorated with pictures of 205 trains colored by Japanese kindergarteners and pre-schoolers. (Damn, Japan wins in the cuteness department yet again.)
H/T Rocketnews24 and Yahoo Japan
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