Continuing Its Innovation Efforts, KAI Develops Experience, Luxury, and Heritage Concepts at Gubeng Railway Workshop
PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) continues to innovate its services by preparing trainsets featuring experience, luxury, and heritage concepts, which are currently under development at the Surabaya Gubeng Railway Workshop (Balai Yasa).
KAI President Director Bobby Rasyidin inspected the progress of this rolling stock development on Wednesday (18/2) alongside the Special Presidential Envoy for Youth Development and Arts Workers, Raffi Ahmad. To date, the first phase of progress has reached approximately 38 percent and is targeted to enter the testing phase in June 2026 prior to its commercial launch.
The development of this concept takes into account the growth of the tourism sector on Java Island. Based on data from the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS), total domestic tourist trips on Java Island reached 706,472,487 trips in 2024. In 2025, that figure increased to 777,760,821 trips, representing a growth of around 10.1 percent within a single year.
Foreign tourist arrivals through airport entry points on Java Island also showed a positive trend. In 2024, total foreign tourist visits were recorded at 2,962,247 people. In 2025, that number rose to 3,198,593 people, or a growth of approximately 8 percent.
In line with this trend, the number of foreign tourists using long-distance train services continues to rise. In 2022, 300,708 foreign tourists were recorded, increasing to 580,995 foreign tourists in 2023, then 669,226 foreign tourists in 2024, and rising further to 694,123 foreign tourists in 2025. This growth reflects the increasing trust of global tourists in rail-based transportation services in Indonesia.
Cumulatively, from 2022 to 2025, there was a growth of approximately 131 percent, representing a surge of more than double over the past three years. This figure demonstrates growing global tourist confidence in rail services in Indonesia while reinforcing the position of trains as the preferred mode of transport for exploring tourist destinations across Java Island.
KAI President Director Bobby Rasyidin explained that this growth serves as strategic momentum for KAI to present rail travel services that integrate with Java's natural landscapes and rich cultural heritage.
"Trains traverse various regions with visually striking and historically significant panoramas. Through these experience, luxury, and heritage concepts, KAI offers journeys that blend premium comfort with historical value in a unified service line," Bobby said.
The trainset currently being prepared consists of 12 cars, including sleeper cars with private spaces, a fine-dining concept dining car, a lounge car with entertainment facilities, and operational support cars. The entire set is designed through a revitalization approach for rolling stock from the 1980s and 1990s, redeveloped to meet modern comfort standards.
This approach forms part of asset optimization and renewal while preserving the historical character of the rolling stock to keep it relevant to contemporary customer needs.
"We are redesigning heritage train cars with a modern touch to retain their historical value while delivering continuously improving service standards. This initiative is expected to strengthen the rail-based tourism ecosystem in Indonesia," Bobby added.
Moving forward, operations will focus on thematic journeys featuring selected routes that offer the finest panoramas and integrate with top tourist destinations. Through this innovation, KAI remains optimistic about expanding the role of railways as a key segment of the national tourism industry.
VP Corporate Communication KAI