Inter-city Travel Is Becoming More Dynamic

Jakarta (ANTARA) — Weekends bring a variety of travel stories. Some people return home to see family, travel to another city for an event, enjoy local food or take a short break. These mobility patterns are also evident in rail travel, where a single service can carry passengers between many pairs of cities along one route.

PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero), or KAI, recorded this pattern on several commercial long-distance train services between January and September 2026. In the first nine months of the year, some services reported occupancy rates above 100 per cent because seats could be used by different passengers on separate sections of the journey. According to KAI data, the Joglosemarkerto recorded the highest occupancy, at 256 per cent.

The ten commercial long-distance train services with the highest occupancy rates between January and September 2026 were:

1. Train 187 Joglosemarkerto, on the Solo Balapan–Semarang Tawang–Tegal–Purwokerto–Solo Balapan–Semarang Tawang route: 256 per cent

2. Train 193 Joglosemarkerto, on the Solo Balapan–Purwokerto–Tegal–Semarang Tawang–Solo Balapan route: 242 per cent

3. Train 70 Malabar, on the Bandung–Malang route: 178 per cent

4. Train 145 Blambangan Ekspres, on the Ketapang–Surabaya Pasarturi–Semarang Tawang–Pasarsenen route: 174 per cent

5. Train 153 Ranggajati, on the Jember–Surabaya Gubeng–Cirebon route: 173 per cent

6. Train 157 Wijayakusuma, on the Ketapang–Surabaya Gubeng–Cilacap route: 173 per cent

7. Train 146 Blambangan Ekspres, on the Pasarsenen–Semarang Tawang–Surabaya Pasarturi–Ketapang route: 170 per cent

8. Train 158 Wijayakusuma, on the Cilacap–Surabaya Gubeng–Ketapang route: 168 per cent

9. Train 248 Logawa, on the Purwokerto–Surabaya Gubeng–Ketapang route: 167 per cent

10. Train 91 Jayabaya, on the Malang–Surabaya Pasarturi–Pasarsenen route: 167 per cent

KAI Vice-President of Corporate Communications Anne Purba said the data showed how inter-city rail services were meeting increasingly diverse mobility needs.

“On a single journey, some passengers travel long distances while others travel shorter inter-city sections. Once a passenger reaches their destination, the same seat can be used by the next passenger. This pattern allows one train journey to serve more of the public’s mobility needs,” Anne said.

The Joglosemarkerto is a notable example. Its route links cities across Central Java and the Special Region of Yogyakarta. Solo, Semarang, Yogyakarta, Purwokerto, Tegal and other towns along the route form part of people’s journeys to work, study, visit family, enjoy local food or go on holiday. Between January and September 2026, the service carried more than 1.10 million passengers.

The cross-city character of these journeys can also be seen on the Malabar, Blambangan Ekspres, Ranggajati, Wijayakusuma, Logawa and Jayabaya services. Their long routes and the number of cities they serve give people more options for choosing departure and arrival points to suit their plans, including short weekend trips.

Anne explained that occupancy above 100 per cent did not mean the number of passengers on board at any one time exceeded the train’s seating capacity. The figure represents the cumulative use of seats throughout the journey, as a seat can be used again after a passenger gets off at their destination.

“Ultimately, these occupancy figures tell a story about people and cities on the move. People go home, work, study, meet family, travel, and then return to their activities. The more pairs of cities a single journey can serve, the wider the range of options for people travelling by train. We want every journey to give people the opportunity to connect with their destinations and their own stories,” Anne concluded.