Cepu Station Becomes Blora's Gateway, Passenger Numbers Grow 22.90 Percent
PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) has noted that Cepu Station is becoming increasingly important as a mobility hub for the community in Blora Regency and its surrounding areas. Located at a strategic point on Java’s northern railway line, Cepu Station serves as a meeting point for travel needs, work activities, education, trade, and local tourism.
Throughout January–May 2026, Cepu Station served 138,786 boarding passengers. This figure represents a 22.03 percent increase compared to the same period in 2025, which recorded 113,736 passengers. During the same period, alighting passengers at Cepu Station reached 142,920, a 23.76 percent increase compared to January–May 2025, which saw 115,482 passengers. Combined, the total number of boarding and alighting passengers at Cepu Station reached 281,706 during January–May 2026, marking a 22.90 percent growth compared to the 229,218 passengers in the same period the previous year.
Vice President of Corporate Communication at KAI, Anne Purba, stated that this growth demonstrates Cepu Station’s increasingly strong role in supporting community mobility and regional economic activity. “Cepu illustrates how a single station can become a meeting point for work, education, trade, and tourism. KAI maintains Cepu Station as reliable access for the people of Blora and its surrounding areas, so that regional economic activities become more connected with other cities on Java,” said Anne.
The character of Cepu makes this growth even more strategic. According to the publication ‘Kecamatan Cepu Dalam Angka 2025’ released by the Blora Regency Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the population of Cepu District in 2024 reached 77,272 people. From the age group table, the population aged 15–64 years totalled 53,537, indicating that Cepu has a strong base of productive residents to support work, education, business, and family economic travel.
The name Cepu is also strongly attached to the national oil and gas history. The PPSDM Migas notes the Cepu Refinery as the oldest refinery in Indonesia and a facility for human resource education and training in the oil and gas sector. The institution also possesses laboratories and workshops to support competency development in upstream, downstream, and supporting oil and gas fields.
Beyond oil and gas, Cepu and Blora also have forestry and agricultural potential. Perhutani records that KPH Cepu is classified as a teak company class with a production forest area of 33,017.09 hectares. Meanwhile, BPS data shows that horticultural production in Cepu District in 2024 included 111.5 quintals of bird’s eye chilli, 120 quintals of melon, and 80 quintals of shallots.
According to Anne, the presence of the railway provides significant value for areas with an economic character like Cepu. Scheduled mobility helps workers, students, MSME operators, traders, families, and tourists reach various activity centres more efficiently. “When rail access becomes easier, the community has more travel choices. Local business operators can move more flexibly, workers and students have more reliable access, while tourists can reach local destinations more comfortably,” said Anne.
In terms of services, Cepu Station is also an important point for local, agglomeration, and intercity travel. The station is served by the Blora Jaya train on the Semarang Poncol–Cepu route and the Blorasura Commuter Line on the Surabaya Pasar Turi–Cepu route, in addition to several intercity train journeys on Java’s northern line. This connectivity also opens access to various local attractions, including the Heritage Trainz Loco Tour in the KPH Perhutani Cepu area, a heritage tour originating from the history of the locomotive depot and old rail network built during the colonial era. The Blora Regency Government notes that the Heritage Loco Tour is managed by KPH Perhutani Cepu and is located on Jl. Sorogo, Cepu.
“KAI wants the growth in passenger numbers in Cepu to have an impact on a broader economic space. We will continue to maintain Cepu Station as a service hub that is safe, comfortable, and relevant to the community’s needs, while supporting Blora’s potential from the local to the cross-regional level,” concluded Anne.