KAI Develops Thematic Experience Trains to Support Tourism Growth in Java

On Java Island, train journeys are not merely transfers from one point to another but a visual and historical experience integrated with the archipelago's landscape. PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) elevates this narrative to a new level through its experience, luxury, and heritage concept.

KAI President Director, Bobby Rasyidin, emphasized that this service innovation is part of a major strategy supporting tourism growth in Java.

"KAI continues to innovate its services by preparing train sets with experience, luxury, and heritage concepts, currently under construction at the Surabaya Gubeng Railway Workshop," stated Bobby in a release from Jakarta on Thursday.

The development location is at the Surabaya Gubeng Railway Workshop, a rolling stock maintenance and engineering center now transformed into a laboratory for future tourist train transformation. 

On Wednesday, February 18, 2026, Bobby inspected the project's progress firsthand alongside Raffi Ahmad, the President's Special Envoy for Youth and Art Workers Development.

"To date, the first phase progress has reached 38 percent and is targeted to enter the trial phase in June 2026 before commercial launch," he said.

Java Tourism Continues to Grow

This concept development did not emerge in a vacuum.

Central Statistics Agency (BPS) data shows a significant surge in domestic Tourist Travel on Java Island, from over 706 million trips in 2024 to over 777 million in 2025, growing around 10.1 percent in one year.

Visits by Foreign Tourists via airports in Java increased by around 8 percent in the same period. 

More interestingly, the number of foreign tourists using Long-Distance Trains surged dramatically in the last three years, from over 300 thousand in 2022 to nearly 700 thousand in 2025.

"This growth reflects increasing global tourist confidence in Indonesia's rail-based transportation services," explained Bobby.

During the 2022-2025 period, cumulative growth reached 131 percent.

This figure is not merely a statistic; it signals that trains are increasingly seen as the ideal way to explore Tourist Destinations in Java.

Slower, more intimate, and more connected to the landscape.

The Journey as the Destination

Java Island holds layers of history along its tracks, from north coastal cities to inland areas surrounded by mountains. 

Trains traverse amidst panoramas of terraced rice fields, winding rivers, to colonial buildings standing since the 19th century.

"Trains traverse various regions with panoramas that are visually and historically potent. Through this experience, luxury, and heritage concept, KAI presents a journey combining premium comfort with historical value in one integrated service," said Bobby.

The set being prepared consists of 12 cars. It includes sleeper cars with private rooms, fine dining restaurant cars, lounge cars with entertainment facilities, and operational support cars.

Interestingly, all are designed through a revitalization approach of rolling stock from the 1980s to 1990s era – a time when train design had strong character – now redeveloped with modern comfort standards.

"We are redesigning heritage trains with a modern touch to preserve their historical value while delivering increasingly improved service standards. This initiative is expected to strengthen Indonesia's railway-based Tourism Ecosystem," Bobby continued.

Moving forward, operations will focus on thematic journeys with selected routes offering the best panoramas integrated with leading destinations. 

This concept shifts the paradigm that Travel is merely a pause en route to a destination. In the experience-luxury-heritage approach, the journey itself becomes the destination.