Train Tickets Sold Exceed Capacity: Are Passengers Being Served?

PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) recorded 3,616,273 long-distance train tickets sold for the period of 11 March to 1 April 2026, reaching 101.2 percent of the provided seating capacity.

“The trend of train travel continues to increase since mid-March and is now entering the return flow phase,” said KAI Vice President of Corporate Communication Anne Purba in a written statement on Tuesday, 24 March 2026.

During the Lebaran travel period from 11 March to 1 April 2026, KAI provided 3,571,760 seats. Anne stated that an occupancy rate above 100 percent is possible due to the dynamic travel patterns of customers within a single train consist.

She explained that one seat can be used by more than one customer on different routes within a single long-distance train journey. This scheme, according to Anne, enables KAI to serve a greater number of customers than the available seats.

The trains with high booking rates during the 2026 Lebaran transport period are the Kereta Api Airlangga, Kereta Api Joglosemarkerto, Kereta Api Sri Tanjung, Kereta Api Bengawan, Kereta Api Kahuripan, Kereta Api Rajabasa, and Kereta Api Jayakarta.

Anne said the public still has opportunities to obtain return flow tickets through alternative routes, different departure schedules, or onward travel schemes.

As of 24 March 2026 at 10:00 WIB, KAI recorded 4,195,627 tickets sold, consisting of long-distance and local services. This figure reaches 93.3 percent of the total 4,498,696 seats provided.

For local train ticket sales, 579,354 tickets were recorded, or 62.5 percent of the total 926,936 seats. KAI stated that seat availability remains open, particularly due to customer travel patterns that do not always cover the full route from origin to destination stations.

During the Lebaran transport period from 11 to 23 March 2026, KAI served 2,378,680 long-distance train customers and 441,494 local train customers. Thus, the total reaches 2,820,174 customers on Java and Sumatra islands.

KAI stated that this increase is reflected in the volume of customers and the daily long-distance train occupancy rate, which continues to rise.

Here is the daily trend of long-distance train customers from 11 to 23 March 2026:

• 11 March: 101,617 customers (63.7 percent)

• 12 March: 126,208 customers (79.2 percent)

• 13 March: 165,675 customers (101.4 percent)

• 14 March: 185,873 customers (113.7 percent)

• 15 March: 180,836 customers (110.6 percent)

• 16 March: 173,753 customers (106.3 percent)

• 17 March: 191,413 customers (117.1 percent)

• 18 March: 205,842 customers (125.9 percent)

• 19 March: 196,324 customers (120.1 percent)

• 20 March: 167,659 customers (104.6 percent)

• 21 March: 193,583 customers (120.2 percent)

• 22 March: 242,773 customers (150.7 percent)

• 23 March: 246,987 customers (154.1 percent)