Jakarta (ANTARA) \u2013 Every journey has two directions. People set off\nfor work, study, family visits, events or simply a change of scene. Once\ntheir purpose has been fulfilled, the story moves in the opposite\ndirection: they return to their routines or continue on to another\ncity.<\/p>\n
This pattern is reflected in rail travel between January and\nSeptember 2026. Data from state-owned railway operator PT Kereta Api\nIndonesia (Persero), or KAI, show that several intercity corridors had\nstrong passenger flows in both directions.<\/p>\n
The Gambir\u2013Yogyakarta corridor was among the busiest. A total of\n536,573 passengers travelled from Gambir to Yogyakarta, while 500,528\ntravelled in the opposite direction. Combined, the two directions\naccounted for more than 1.03 million passenger journeys in the first\nnine months of 2026.<\/p>\n
Similar patterns appeared on other corridors. Gambir\u2013Semarang Tawang\nand the return route recorded a combined 775,855 passenger journeys.\nPasarsenen\u2013Lempuyangan and the return route totalled 694,510, while\nYogyakarta\u2013Surabaya Gubeng and the opposite direction recorded\n569,938.<\/p>\n
One city pair was almost perfectly balanced. The Gambir\u2013Bandung route\ncarried 277,526 passengers, compared with 277,448 travelling from\nBandung to Gambir. The difference was just 78 passengers out of a total\nof 554,974 journeys.<\/p>\n
KAI Vice President of Corporate Communications Anne Purba said the\nfigures showed that connections between cities operate in both\ndirections and are supported by a range of travel needs.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople come to a city for many reasons. Some work, study, visit\nfamily, attend events, enjoy the food or go sightseeing. What is\nstriking is that passenger flows on several corridors are also strong in\nthe opposite direction. This means that connections between regions\nremain active throughout the year,\u201d Anne said.<\/p>\n
Jakarta\u2013Yogyakarta links the national centre of activity with a city\nknown for education, culture, food and tourism. Jakarta\u2013Semarang\nconnects two cities with business, government, trade and tourism\nactivity. Jakarta\u2013Bandung, meanwhile, sees travel for work, family\nvisits, food, creative activities and short breaks.<\/p>\n
The balanced flows also suggest that people\u2019s journeys do not always\nrun from a single centre towards one destination. Cities send and\nreceive travellers, creating connections that remain active day after\nday.<\/p>\n
\u201cBehind two almost equal figures is a simple story that is close to\neveryday life. People leave with a purpose, then return with\nexperiences. A city welcomes visitors and then sends journeys back in\nanother direction. The railway is part of all this, keeping intercity\nconnections moving and ensuring every journey has a way home,\u201d Anne\nconcluded.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/many-leave-and-just-as-many-return-1792331460", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }