Air Tawar Shelter Customers Continue to Grow in January–April 2026
Public mobility using trains in West Sumatra continues to show an increasingly positive trend. Amid the growing need for fast and efficient urban mobility, Air Tawar Shelter in Padang City has developed into one of the service points that actively serves community travel every day.
Based on KAI data, the number of departing and arriving customers at Air Tawar Shelter from January to April 2026 reached 134,375 customers. This figure increased by 18,901 customers or 16.37 percent compared with the same period in 2025, which recorded 115,474 customers. This increase reflects the growing number of people utilizing railway services in the northern area of Padang City.
KAI Vice President of Corporate Communication Anne Purba said that customer growth at Air Tawar Shelter indicates a change in public mobility patterns that are increasingly shifting toward the use of rail-based public transportation as part of daily needs.
"Air Tawar Shelter is located in a highly dynamic area. Educational activities, residential areas, trade, and tourism are located within the same corridor. This condition makes community mobility needs continue to grow, and trains have become an increasingly preferred travel option," she said.
Geographically, Air Tawar Shelter is located near higher education areas and densely active residential environments. Every day, this shelter serves the movement of students, workers, business actors, and communities traveling to the city center and other areas in Padang City. In recent years, the area around Air Tawar has also developed into an active community activity space, especially during morning and afternoon hours.
KAI views the existence of shelters such as Air Tawar as having an important role in supporting urban community connectivity. With easier access to residential areas and community activity centers, railway services help people obtain more practical travel options with more predictable travel times amid increasingly congested urban traffic conditions.
The growth of customers at Air Tawar Shelter also demonstrates the increasingly strong role of trains in supporting educational activities in Padang City. The Air Tawar area is known as one of the educational centers that is crowded every day with the mobility of students and educators. The availability of railway services provides a more efficient travel alternative for people active in this corridor.
In addition to supporting daily activities, Air Tawar Shelter has a unique character because it is located near Padang City's coastal tourism area. From the shelter area, people can reach Padang Beach and several popular culinary tourism spots that are frequently visited on weekends and in the afternoon. Train travel in West Sumatra also offers a distinctive visual experience, as customers can enjoy a combination of urban landscapes, coastline views, and green hills along one journey.
Anne added that customer growth at various shelters and stations in West Sumatra shows increasing public trust in rail-based public transportation services. KAI continues to evaluate services to ensure customer journeys become safer, more comfortable, and aligned with modern mobility needs.
"Public transportation has a very important function in maintaining the productivity of urban communities. Customer growth at Air Tawar Shelter shows that trains are increasingly becoming part of the daily activity rhythm of people in Padang City," she said.
VP Corporate Communication KAI