Jakarta - Mudik Lebaran is one of the most awaited moments for many people across Indonesia, and preparations for the 2025 homecoming are already well underway. To facilitate smooth journeys during this busy period, PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero), commonly known as KAI, has announced additional train services starting from February 23, 2025, at midnight.
Travelers can purchase tickets for these additional trains starting 45 days before their departure date. According to Anne Purba, Vice President of Public Relations at KAI, tickets for additional train services can be booked from February 24, 2025, for departures on April 10, 2025. The subsequent day, February 25, will open ticket sales for trips scheduled for April 11, 2025.
KAI has established the Angkutan Lebaran 1446H/2025 operation period, which spans 22 days from March 21 to April 11, 2025. During this timeframe, the company aims to operate approximately 9,572 train journeys, consisting of 8,492 regular trips and 1,080 additional services. So far, ticket sales have exceeded 1.1 million, with March 29, 2025, (H-2) being the most popular travel date, accounting for bookings of up to 85,973 tickets.
To accommodate the high volume of travelers, KAI has increased seating capacity by 538,280 seats through these additional train services. Consequently, the total seating capacity during the 2025 Lebaran travel period will top 4.5 million seats. These additional services will cover long-distance trains as well as local routes at various service classes, including the Java Priority train, which provides a luxurious travel experience on the route between Gambir and Yogyakarta.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian National Police (Polri) anticipates peak travel days for Lebaran 2025 to occur from March 28 to 30. To prepare for this influx of travelers, the police will implement Operation Ketupat, running from March 26 to April 8, 2025. Irjen Endi Sutendi, the Deputy Assistant for the Police Chief's Operations, explained on February 26, 2025, various traffic management schemes have been established to ease congestion on the roads.
“We will deploy Operation Ketupat from March 26 until April 8. The peak homecoming traffic is expected to occur on March 28 to 30, with the return traffic peaking after April 8,” stated Irjen Endi. He elaborated on the planned traffic mitigation strategies, which include applying the contraflow and one-way systems on certain toll road sections.
Regarding the anticipated number of travelers this year, Irjen Endi noted, “We project the number of travelers will exceed 100 million people based on previous years’ experiences and movement trends around Christmas and New Year.” He assured coordination with various relevant agencies is underway to secure smooth travel during this high-demand period.
“Trust me, we will hold inter-agency meetings around mid-March with the Ministry of Transportation and other concerned agencies to obtain more reliable information,” he said.
With ticket sales already hitting significant numbers and operational plans set, both KAI and the police are diligently preparing for what is always one of the busiest travel seasons in Indonesia. The dedication of these organizations aims to make Lebaran 2025's mudik experience as smooth and enjoyable as possible for the millions eager to return to their hometowns for the celebrations.