Ensuring Readiness for Lebaran Mudik 2026, Andra Soni and Dimyati Inspect Merak Port
To ensure smooth flow of the 2026 Lebaran mudik (mass exodus), Banten Governor Andra Soni alongside Vice Governor Achmad Dimyati Natakusumah conducted a direct inspection of the readiness of Merak Port in Cilegon City on Friday, 13 March 2026. Both were also accompanied by Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK) Pratikno and numerous ministers and heads of state institutions.
Present during the inspection were Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi, Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Arifah Fauzi, National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, Armed Forces Commander General Agus Subiyanto, and Head of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Professor Teuku Faisal Fathani.
At Merak Port, the delegation inspected several strategic points, particularly the Executive Terminal which serves as the main crossing route for small vehicles and pedestrians heading to Sumatra. Additionally, the group checked the fleet of ships that will operate during the Lebaran mudik period to ensure optimal ferry services.
Coordinating Minister Pratikno stated that the inspection simultaneously ensured all parties’ readiness in facing the surge in population movement during this year’s Lebaran mudik. Based on a Transport Ministry survey, the number of mudik travellers this year is estimated to exceed 143 million people. However, this figure has the potential to be higher upon actual realisation in the field.
“Our target is naturally for mudik to proceed safely, smoothly, comfortably, and successfully,” said Pratikno. According to him, the peak of mudik traffic is estimated to begin around 18 March 2026, whilst the return traffic is predicted to occur in late March. With such an extended mudik timeframe, the government hopes public movement can be distributed over several days so as not to concentrate at any single time.
“We hope mudik traffic can be distributed more evenly because this year there are weekends, flexible working arrangement policies for civil servants, joint leave, and the Nyepi and Eid holidays,” he explained. Pratikno also emphasised the importance of all parties’ readiness to anticipate various possibilities in the field, including weather factors and port operational conditions. Officers must be responsive in serving travellers if challenges arise.
“We also urge the public to always follow official information and officers’ directives so that mudik journeys proceed safely, comfortably, smoothly, and successfully,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo stated that several measures have been prepared to anticipate the surge in vehicle and passenger traffic in the Merak Port area. In preparing this year’s mudik, various supporting facility enhancements have been undertaken, including the addition of buffer zones to ease vehicle congestion heading to the port.
The government has also prepared several alternative ports as a precautionary measure should long queues occur at Merak Port, including the use of the Cilegon Southern Ring Road (JLS) as a route to the port. “Additionally, there is a port that can serve as an alternative when queue conditions are quite long, namely the Krakatau Bandar Samudera Port,” Listyo explained.
The National Police Chief also highlighted the importance of command centres and media centres during the mudik period. According to him, both facilities play a vital role in conveying various information to the public quickly and accurately. “Because what matters most is how all policies can be widely socialised,” he said.
To mitigate prolonged congestion on the Merak–Bakauheni crossing route, particularly during holiday periods, the government is implementing a delaying system and traffic engineering aimed at slowing vehicles entering the port. The government has also assigned specific terminal berths for the ferry crossings and is preparing delaying systems at Merak, Bakauheni, Ketapang, and Gilimanuk ports to anticipate congestion during the 2026 Lebaran mudik and return periods.