Six Days to Eid: Pasar Senen Station Crowded with Homebound Travellers
The homebound rush for Eid celebrations has begun to build at Pasar Senen Station in Central Jakarta. As H-5 approaches before Eid al-Fitr, thousands of prospective passengers have crowded the station area from morning onwards, preparing to travel to various destinations across Java Island.
Observations at Pasar Senen Station on Sunday evening (15 March) revealed queues of passengers snaking through ticket inspection areas and platform entrances. Homebound travellers were carrying various luggage, including suitcases, large bags and neatly tied cardboard boxes.
Most passengers chose to depart earlier to avoid the peak crush of homebound traffic, which is expected to occur on 16-17 March. They are also taking advantage of additional train schedules arranged to accommodate the surge in passenger numbers.
Rina, 34, deliberately left early for her hometown in Surabaya to avoid getting caught in the pre-Eid congestion. “I’m heading home earlier because usually by H-3 or H-2 it’s already very crowded. It’s already quite busy here now,” she said.
Andri, 29, a traveller bound for Yogyakarta, said this year’s journey home had been prepared well in advance, including booking train tickets when sales opened. “Alhamdulillah I got a train ticket. I’m going back to Jogja to see my family. It’s been a year since I went home because last year I didn’t have time for a long holiday,” he said.
Despite the station being quite full, passenger flow remained orderly. Officers were seen directing passenger access and assisting with ticket inspections at various points.
The number of passengers at Pasar Senen Station is expected to continue increasing towards the peak of the Eid homebound rush in the coming days. Railway ticket sales during the Eid transport period have shown an upward trend, reaching 214,624 tickets sold by Sunday evening (H-6 Eid).
To ensure travel safety, police emphasised that vehicle technical inspections (ramp checks) and health checks for bus crews are top priorities. The Garut Police Chief noted that a one-way traffic system has been implemented to reduce congestion on the route from Limbangan to Malangbong.
For the broader operation, Operation Ketupat Jaya 2026 in the Bekasi Metro Police jurisdiction involves 1,238 combined personnel from the police, military, local government and related agencies. Additionally, camera systems are increasingly being used in transport vehicles such as buses and trains, allowing operators to monitor activity from various angles in real-time.
Two hundred residents participating in a free travel scheme were dispatched on Sunday (15 March) from Makassar Port to Surabaya using KM Labobar. Free shuttle buses for homebound travellers are being dispatched from the Indonesian Mini Indonesia Park (TMII) in Jakarta, scheduled to arrive in Klaten on 17 March 2026.