Arus Balik Belum Surut, 52 Ribu Penumpang Tiba di Jakarta Lewat Kereta pada 26 Maret

Illustration of a long-distance train passing through Gambir Station, Jakarta (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The return flow of Lebaran 2026 on the train journey to Jakarta is still crowded. As of Thursday, March 26, 2026 at 09.00 WIB, the number of arriving passengers was recorded at 52,471 people, far exceeding the departure volume of 33,520 passengers.

The dominance of this arrival figure shows that the wave of people returning to Jakarta and its surroundings has not subsided after the Eid al-Fitr holiday. Trains are still the main choice, especially for long-distance travel.

KAI Public Relations Manager for Jakarta Railway Station 1 Franoto Wibowo said that his party continued to monitor the movement of passengers, which was still high during the return flow.

"The reverse flow in the Jakarta Daop 1 area has so far shown a fairly high figure. The volume of arrivals still dominates compared to departures, and we continue to ensure that all services run optimally so that customers can travel safely, comfortably, and smoothly," said Franoto in a statement, Thursday, March 26.

Pasar Senen and Gambir stations are again the main points of arrival for passengers. On March 26, Pasar Senen recorded 18,203 passengers arriving, followed by Gambir 15,815 passengers, and Bekasi 8,477 passengers.

For departures, Pasar Senen also recorded the highest number with 15,061 passengers. Meanwhile, Gambir serves 7,828 passengers and Bekasi 5,448 passengers.

Cumulatively during the Lebaran Transportation period which took place from March 11 to April 1, 2026, KAI Daop 1 Jakarta provided 1,083,674 seats for long-distance trains. As of March 26, the number of departing passengers reached 742,715 people, with a total of 858,748 tickets sold or booked. The average occupancy rate is 79 percent.

Even though the return flow is still high, the availability of tickets for the next few days is still quite open. For the period from March 26 to April 1, 198,535 seats are available.

The surge in mobility was actually seen from the beginning of the homecoming period. In the period 11-20 March 2026, the number of passengers who were sent reached 483,389 people.

"The peak of the homecoming departure occurred on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, with a volume of 53,576 passengers," he said.

Entering Eid Day on March 21-22, 2026, the number of departures was recorded at 97,297 passengers, while the arrival was 62,254 passengers. After that, since March 23, the daily arrival figures have continued to remain in the range of 49 thousand to 53 thousand passengers.

"This figure shows that the train remains the mode that the community relies on to return to Jakarta after the Eid al-Fitr holiday," he said.

Passengers returning to Jakarta are mostly from a number of cities on the island of Java, such as Semarang, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Jember, Purwokerto, Bandung, Malang, Solo, Tegal, Madiun, to Kutoarjo.

Meanwhile, the favorite destination cities during the Lebaran Transportation period include Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Semarang, Purwokerto, Bandung, and Jember.

In terms of capacity, as of April 1, 2026, there are still 123,081 seats in the executive class, 64,756 seats in commercial economy, and 10,698 seats in PSO economy.

A number of long-distance trains that are customer favorites from Gambir Station include Pandalungan, Argo Semeru, Gunungjati, Cakrabuana, Pangandaran, and Batavia. Meanwhile, from Pasar Senen, the trains that are much sought after include Bengawan, Airlangga, Serayu, Kertajaya, Jayakarta, and Progo.

In addition to long-distance trains, local train services also recorded a high occupancy rate. The Pangrango train during the period from March 11 to April 1, 2026 has been booked 73,911 tickets with an occupancy of 91 percent. On March 26, the number of passengers reached 4,082 people, with a total cumulative of 59,323 passengers.

Meanwhile, the Siliwangi train served 2,338 passengers on the same day, with a total cumulative of 24,846 passengers since March 11.

Overall, the total tickets sold for long-distance and local train services during the Lebaran Transportation period reached 943,673 tickets, with an average occupancy rate of 78 percent of the total capacity of 1,206,610 seats.