Eid Homecoming Travel Begins Earlier as Long-Distance Train Occupancy Exceeds 100 Percent

Public movement during the 2026 Eid (Lebaran) Transport period has begun to show an increase since mid-March. PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) recorded an early homecoming (mudik) travel trend, marked by long-distance train occupancy rates exceeding seat capacity over the past few days.

On March 13, 2026, KAI successfully served 165,655 long-distance train passengers in a single day, achieving an occupancy rate of 101.4 percent out of the 163,432 seats available. This figure highlights strong public interest in traveling earlier ahead of Eid.

This upward trend is projected to continue today. As of March 14, 2026, at 09:00 WIB, bookings for departure on March 14, 2026, reached 166,288 passengers, representing an occupancy rate of 101.7 percent out of the 163,432 total daily seats provided. This number has the potential to grow further as ticket sales remain open until 24:00 WIB.

Traveler movement is expected to persist in the following days. Based on preliminary data, ticket sales for departure on March 15, 2026, have reached 144,888 tickets, or 88.7 percent of the 163,432 total seats provided by KAI for long-distance train services.

Overall, ticket sales for the 2026 Eid Transport period covering departures from March 11 to April 1, 2026, continue to increase. As of March 14, 2026, at 09:00 WIB, a total of 2,994,943 tickets have been sold, representing 66.6 percent of the 4,498,696 total seats provided across long-distance and local train services. With this achievement, approximately 1,503,753 seats remain available for the public during the Eid period.

For long-distance train services, ticket sales reached 2,789,022, or 78.1 percent of the 3,571,760 total seats provided. Consequently, around 782,738 seats remain available for passengers booking homecoming or return journeys.

Meanwhile, for local train services managed by KAI, 205,921 tickets have been sold, or 22.2 percent out of the 926,936 total seats available, leaving approximately 721,015 seats open. Local train ticket sales generally rise closer to departure dates, as most services only open for booking 7 days prior to travel (H-7).

Vice President of Corporate Communication at KAI, Anne Purba, stated that the public still has opportunities to secure train tickets during this year's Eid Transport period.

"Ticket availability remains open across various routes. We encourage the public to plan their trips early and make use of the various available schedule options to ensure a comfortable and smooth homecoming journey," said Anne.

Based on preliminary data, the top 10 departure stations with the highest passenger volumes during the 2026 Eid Transport period are as follows:
1. Pasarsenen: 277,289 passengers
2. Gambir: 194,698 passengers
3. Yogyakarta: 121,604 passengers
4. Surabaya Pasar Turi: 107,667 passengers
5. Bekasi: 98,364 passengers
6. Surabaya Gubeng: 95,490 passengers
7. Semarang Tawang: 94,061 passengers
8. Purwokerto: 82,344 passengers
9. Bandung: 78,576 passengers
10. Semarang Poncol: 76,185 passengers

Additionally, the Kereta Ekonomi Kerakyatan (People's Economy Class Train) continues to be a popular travel option among passengers during this year's Eid Transport period. To date, ticket sales have reached 22,690 out of 27,368 total seats available, representing approximately 83 percent occupancy, and are expected to grow continuously heading into the peak homecoming flow.

Anne added that KAI continues to monitor ticket sales progress while ensuring operational readiness across all regions throughout the Eid Transport period.

"Through comprehensive service preparations, KAI is committed to delivering safe and comfortable journeys for passengers. In line with this year’s Eid Transport theme, Semakin Melayani, Menemani Menuju Fitrah, KAI seeks to ensure that every homecoming journey by train is smooth, pleasant, and ends with passengers arriving safely at their destinations," Anne concluded.

VP Corporate Communication KAI