Zombies are rising in Jakarta to popularise public transport

To tackle traffic woes and push more people to use public transport, "zombies" are rising up in Jakarta. The city's light rapid transit operator has turned a train and station into the set of a bloody zombie apocalypse and real passengers have been invited to the show.

The paid attraction was launched last month and aims to promote the relatively new system and, more generally, encourage young people to take public transport.

It is called "Train to Apocalypse" and is inspired by the 2016 South Korean horror film, "Train To Busan".

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Actors are dressed up like zombies, in tattered clothes and on-point make up. One of them even has just the whites of his eyes visible.They then behave like zombies and scare the passengers into running through the dark station tunnels to a train. Once inside, you can hear news about a made-up "Pandora" virus which is turning people into zombies.

Soldiers armed with fake rifles fight the "zombies" and try to escort passengers to safety. But beware, they can reemerge and terrorise you at any time.

"The zombies didn't actually chase us but we were still panicking," said Genesis Christi, a 17-year-old zombie enthusiast told AFP.

The idea behind the entire exercise is to show that taking public transport can be cool and fun. Jakarta has over 30 million people and suffers from heavy pollution and traffic congestion. Its light rapid transit system only began commercial operation in December 2019.

Riding the "Train to Apocalypse" costs 60,000-70,000 rupiah ($4-4.70), until the event ends on Sunday.

The organisers promised the 20-minute ride does not disrupt the trips of regular LRT passengers. Even without participating, they can catch a glimpse of the horror show for free.

(With inputs from agencies)