Lebaran Return Traffic Surges, Land and Air Routes See Increases

High mobility is also evident in the mass transportation sector, particularly trains, which are a preferred choice for the public due to comfort and punctuality. Jakarta (ANTARA) - The flow of vehicles and passengers returning to Jakarta and several other major cities continues to increase as the Lebaran holiday period ends in 2026, with surges in mobility visible across various modes of transport, from toll roads and arterial routes to trains and flights. This movement indicates the start of the busy return phase when holidaymakers return to their routines after celebrating Eid al-Fitr with family in their hometowns. On land routes, the volume of vehicles heading back to the Jabotabek area continues to show an increase. Data from PT Jasamarga Transjawa Tol (JTT) indicates that, up to Tuesday night (24/3), 85,453 vehicles had passed out of the Cikampek Utama Toll Gate towards Jakarta. Vice President of Corporate Secretary and Legal at PT JTT, Ria Marlinda Paalo, stated that the surge in vehicle traffic began to be visible from the evening, especially vehicles coming from Central Java. “Indeed, the current traffic volume has risen; around 20:00 to 21:00 WIB, it has reached about 70,000 vehicles,” said Ria. As one of the main hubs for the return flow from Trans Java to Jakarta, the Cikampek Utama Toll Gate is a crucial point in managing vehicle distribution during the return period. To maintain smooth traffic flow, toll operators are implementing various adjustments, from adding transaction lanes to applying traffic engineering such as the national one-way system and contraflow at several strategic points. Cumulatively, PT Jasa Marga recorded 1.7 million vehicles returning to the Jabotabek area during the H-10 to H+2 Lebaran period, or 11-23 March 2026. President Director of PT Jasa Marga, Rivan A Purwantono, said that this number only reaches about half of the total vehicles projected to return during this year’s return period. “Vehicle traffic flow is estimated to continue increasing, especially during the peak return period on 24, 28, and 29 March 2026,” he stated. Arterial routes