Cirebon again showed its role as a driver of community mobility and tourism on the island of Java during the 2025 Christmas and New Year (Nataru) Transportation period.
Its strategic location at the intersection of the north and south lines makes this area an important node for cross-city, cross-provincial movement, and access to various tourist destinations.
KAI Vice President of Corporate Communication Anne Purba said that travel activities in Cirebon during Christmas reflected the high need for community mobility as well as the increasing interest in train-based tourist travel.
Anne said this was evident from the crowded train service serving passengers at Cirebon Station and Cirebon Prujakan Station.
During the Nataru period, in one day of operation, a total of 63 regular trains and 17 additional trains from east to west, and 66 regular trains and 17 additional trains from west to east were recorded.
Anne said that a number of additional trains include the Motis Nataru passenger service which supports community mobility as well as the distribution of two-wheeled vehicles between regions.
"Cirebon has a distinctive role in connecting the north such as Jakarta and Semarang with the south to Purwokerto and Yogyakarta. This position makes Cirebon an important transit point for customers who continue their journey to various regions," Anne said in an official statement, Sunday, January 4.
Based on data from the Cirebon Regional Operation 3 Nataru Transportation as of Sunday, January 4, 2026 at 10.00 WIB, the cumulative customer volume in the period from December 18, 2025 to January 4, 2026 reached 274,400 customers.
The number consists of 136,081 customers going up and 138,319 customers going down. On the same day, daily movement was recorded at 16,867 customers.
At Cirebon Station, the cumulative customer volume reached 114,821 customers with a daily movement of 6,385 customers.
Meanwhile, the Cirebon Prujakan Station recorded a cumulative volume of 45,232 customers with a daily movement of 2,830 customers.
The data confirms the role of the two stations as the main entry and exit points for the Cirebon area during the long holiday.
The high mobility is in line with the achievement of ticket sales in the Cirebon Daop 3 area. From a capacity of 74,988 seats, tickets sold reached 81,244 tickets or equivalent to 108 percent.
Anne said the level of occupancy above 100 percent was influenced by the dynamic travel patterns of customers, with ups and downs at various stations along the track.
In addition to domestic movements, continued Anne, Cirebon also recorded growth in foreign tourists.
Throughout 2025, as many as 21,806 foreign tourists were recorded to have departed by long-distance train from the Daop 3 Cirebon area, an increase compared to the previous year which reached 19,280 tourists. Cirebon Station is the highest with 12,566 foreign tourists.
Anne explained that train connectivity makes it easier for tourists to access Cirebon's various flagship destinations, ranging from the palace and heritage areas, religious tourism, to culinary centers, as well as to buffer areas such as Majalengka, Indramayu, and Kuningan.
"The flow of customers and tourists through Cirebon has a direct impact on the local economy. This activity strengthens the role of the railway as a regional link as well as a regional economic driver," said Anne.
Nationally, as of Sunday, January 4, 2026 at 08.00 WIB, the sale of tickets for the 2025 Christmas and 2026 New Year Transportation was recorded at 4,135,783 tickets or an increase of 10.86 percent compared to the previous year's Christmas period.
"Connectivity built through train services makes inter-regional travel more efficient and comfortable. Cirebon is an example of how transportation nodes play a role in maintaining mobility while supporting tourism and the local economy," concluded Anne.
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