Minister of Transportation, Director General of Railways, and KAI President Director Inspect Flood-Affected Railway Line in Pekalongan to Ensure Travel Safety
Indonesian Minister of Transportation Dudy Purwagandhi, together with Director General of Railways Allan Tandiono and President Director of PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) Bobby Rasyidin, directly inspected the Pekalongan–Sragi railway line affected by flooding due to extreme weather on Wednesday (21/1). The inspection was conducted to ensure that field handling was carried out optimally and that the safety of train journeys remained maintained.
High-intensity rainfall over the past several days caused the Bermi River and Meduri River to overflow, resulting in waterlogging over the railway tracks at several points, particularly at Km 88+400 and Km 88+900 to Km 89+100. These conditions resulted in speed restrictions on train journeys to ensure safety, which in turn caused travel delays.
Indonesian Minister of Transportation Dudy Purwagandhi emphasized that flood management on railway lines needs to be carried out comprehensively, both in the short and long term.
“The rainfall currently occurring is indeed relatively higher compared to previous years. Therefore, the handling should not only be temporary, but also needs to be considered for the long term so that similar incidents can be anticipated in the future,” said the Minister of Transportation.
The Minister of Transportation also stated that his side had received explanations from the Regional Government and KAI’s Board of Directors regarding the conditions in the field. He emphasized that flood management cannot be carried out by one party alone.
“There are several points where the handling involves many parties, starting from the regional government, provincial government, to other ministries and agencies related to the environment and river management. The technical details will be conveyed by KAI’s Board of Directors,” he added.
Meanwhile, KAI President Director Bobby Rasyidin explained that from January 16 to 19, 2026, there were two main points affected by waterlogging in the Pekalongan area. These impacts resulted in 124 passenger train journeys having to be canceled.
“KAI provides a 100 percent ticket fare refund for all customers affected by the cancellations, with a submission deadline of up to seven days. Currently, the refund process is underway and is being utilized by customers,” explained Bobby.
In addition to refunds, KAI also provides service recovery for customers experiencing travel delays, as well as operational recovery to restore infrastructure reliability.
As part of the emergency response, KAI has raised the railway track by 23 centimeters and will continue infrastructure reinforcement work, with plans to raise the track by up to a maximum of 50 centimeters over a length of approximately 600 meters, including adjustments to bridge structures and station yards that had previously been identified as having subsidence.
“We continue to carry out and accelerate the repair work. Currently, train operations have recovered by around 85 percent, with no more journey cancellations. Around 15 percent of journeys are still experiencing delays due to speed restrictions,” said Bobby.
KAI hopes that weather conditions will soon improve so that the recovery process can be completed more quickly and train operations can return to normal in full.
“KAI apologizes to all customers for the inconvenience caused and reaffirms its commitment to continuously prioritizing safety, service reliability, and the best possible service to the public,” concluded Bobby.
VP Public Relations KAI