A Bad Experience: The Train That Never Came
Last month, I needed to go from Surabaya to Yogyakarta for my cousin’s wedding. I booked a train ticket for the 6 AM departure. I woke up at 4 AM, took a cold shower, and walked to the station in the dark.
I arrived at 5:30. The station was packed. Families with giant suitcases. Old men sleeping on benches. Babies crying. I checked the departure board.
Cancelled.
No announcement. No text message. Just the word “Cancelled” in red letters next to my train number.
I walked to the customer service counter. Fifteen people already stood in line. I waited forty minutes. When I finally reached the front, the officer said, “Track maintenance. Next train at 2 PM.”
“But the wedding is at 11 AM,” I said.
She shrugged. “You can take a bus.”
I ran to the bus terminal outside the station. Three bus companies. All sold out. A man offered me a seat in a minivan. He wanted 400 thousand rupiahs. The train ticket cost 120.
I paid. I had no choice.
The van left at 8 AM. The driver smoked inside. The air conditioning broke after one hour. The passenger next to me brought a cage with two chickens. They clucked the entire trip.
We stopped at a rest area. The toilet had no water. No soap. I washed my hands with bottled water.
The van arrived in Yogyakarta at 3 PM. The wedding ended an hour earlier. I missed the ceremony. I only made it to the reception.
My cousin laughed when I told the story. “At least you came,” she said.
I smiled. But inside, I wanted to scream.
The worst part? Two weeks later, I received an email from the train company. They refunded my ticket. No apology. No explanation. Just a transaction code.
I still get angry every time I see a train.