Yogyakarta Special Region Seeks Rerouting of Airport Train Service to Ease City Congestion
The Yogyakarta Special Region (DIY) government has requested that the Ministry of Transportation reorganise the departure points for the Yogyakarta International Airport (YIA) train service located in Kulon Progo Regency.
“Currently, the YIA Airport train service only operates through Tugu Station in Yogyakarta and Wates Station in Kulon Progo, which has resulted in vehicle congestion accumulating in the city centre and causing traffic jams,” said DIY Regional Secretary Ni Made Dwipanti Indrayanti on Tuesday, 10 March 2026.
Indrayanti stated that the previous week, on Friday, 6 March 2026, her office had travelled to Jakarta and met with the Directorate General of Railways at the Ministry of Transportation to propose the reorganisation of the airport train service departure points.
The proposal, she said, also responds to increasingly frequent complaints from members of the public who claim to have been delayed when attempting to catch flights due to becoming stuck in congestion whilst travelling to Tugu Station, which is located in the heart of Yogyakarta city.
Indrayanti revealed that one option for resolving the airport train service access problem is to extend the route eastward to Maguwo Station in Sleman Regency, located near Adisucipto Airport.
This option was previously proposed by DIY Governor Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono to the Ministry of Transportation as early as 2023. The option has also been supported by preliminary studies regarding the relocation of the airport train service towards the east.
“If the train service could be extended eastward towards Sleman, prospective airport passengers would no longer need to enter the city, thereby reducing the burden of urban congestion,” she said.
In addition to serving as a congestion solution, the development of services on the eastern side is also intended to create opportunities for an integrated transportation area or Transit Oriented Development (TOD) around Maguwo Station.
This concept has been outlined in the regional spatial planning documents, with Maguwo Station planned to become a transportation hub providing park and ride facilities and integrated with the Trans Jogja bus system.
“We hope that the presence of this integrated infrastructure can attract investor interest to further develop the area in the future,” she said.
Head of the DIY Department of Transportation, Chrestina Erni Widyastuti, stated that the presence of the airport train route extending eastward to Maguwo Station is also considered to help distribute airport access more evenly.
“However, the implementation of this eastern service development still requires further study, particularly regarding operational matters, track capacity, and budgeting, which is planned to commence in 2027,” she said.
The urgency of this transportation planning is important because Yogyakarta’s mobility continues to increase significantly each year, particularly during the homecoming period and extended holidays such as Eid al-Fitr.
Based on survey results from the Ministry of Transportation, it is predicted that approximately 8.2 million people will enter the DIY region during this year’s Eid al-Fitr holiday period.
DIY Police Chief Brigadier General Anggoro Sukartono stated that the high mobility during the Eid al-Fitr holiday period usually also triggers vulnerable points, particularly traffic congestion. “The congestion is especially acute at transportation hubs such as Tugu Station, Lempuyangan Station, Adisucipto Airport, and YIA Airport,” he said.