Rail Mobility Continues to Grow, Six KAI Regions Record Double-Digit Increases

Rail passenger activity continued to increase across Java and Sumatra throughout 2026. From January to September 2026, KAI stations recorded 89,951,806 passenger boarding and alighting activities, up 8.51% from 82,898,440 activities during the same period in 2025.

Notably, six KAI operating regions recorded double-digit growth. In Java, Daop 2 Bandung grew by 10.42%, Daop 5 Purwokerto by 11.35%, and Daop 6 Yogyakarta by 11.00%. In Sumatra, Divre II West Sumatra grew by 22.21%, Divre III Palembang by 10.31%, and Divre IV Tanjungkarang by 14.07%.

KAI’s Vice President of Corporate Communication, Anne Purba, explained that these figures reflect different travel patterns across regions. The six regions recording double-digit growth serve diverse mobility needs, ranging from major cities to regional corridors across Java and Sumatra. Understanding these differences is important for assessing how people’s travel needs are evolving.

The highest growth was recorded in Divre II West Sumatra, where passenger activity rose by 22.21%, from approximately 2.84 million to 3.47 million activities. In Java, Daop 5 Purwokerto and Daop 6 Yogyakarta also recorded growth of more than 11%. Meanwhile, the Jakarta region remained the largest contributor by volume, recording 18.06 million passenger activities, up 6.06%.

Station activity figures count passengers boarding and alighting trains, reflecting the intensity of movement in each region rather than the number of individual customers served by KAI Group. Overall, KAI Group served 394,443,300 customers from January to September 2026, an increase of 7.06% from 368,429,917 customers during the same period last year.

Rail mobility growth also coincided with high travel activity across Indonesia. According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), domestic tourist trips reached 104.30 million in August 2026, up 11.47% from August 2025. International tourist visits in the same month totaled 1.60 million.

According to Anne, differences in regional growth provide a more detailed picture of capacity and service requirements. Areas with significant tourism activity have different travel patterns from commuter zones and regional corridors. KAI therefore considers station activity alongside occupancy rates, departure patterns, holiday seasons, and station capacity when preparing services to meet the needs of each region.

On a monthly basis, passenger activity at KAI stations nationwide reached its highest level in March 2026, with 11,505,570 activities. Activity totaled approximately 10.97 million in June and 10.80 million in July.

Anne added that regional growth gives KAI a clearer picture of where mobility is increasing. These insights help the company prepare services according to the travel patterns of each corridor, supporting the mobility needs of communities across different regions.