Kereta Api Indonesia


PT Kereta Api Indonesia is the main state-owned railway operator of Indonesia. KAI provides intercity passenger services directly, while its subsidiaries provide commuter rail services, airport link services, freight rail services, as well as infrastructure maintenance. KAI also operates in other sectors, such as properties management and tourism. KAI also has indirect control of Whoosh through its ownership of a majority of shares in, another state-owned enterprise of Indonesia.
KAI operates on the islands of Sumatra, Java, and Sulawesi, with a total of of tracks. Also holds track-assets and planned services on Madura Island. In 2024, KAI carried 505 million passengers and 73.5 million tonnes of cargo, earning Rp 36.1 trillion in revenue.

History

Kereta Api Indonesia originates from a long line of successive state railway companies dating from the Dutch colonial days. On 27 August 1863, Indonesia's first railway company was named Nederlandsch-Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij. The colonial government of the Dutch East Indies granted concession to W. Poolman, Alex Frazer and E.H. Kol on 28 August 1862. Its initial route was. The line was inaugurated in Kemijen village, Semarang, by L.A.J.W. Baron Sloet van de Beele on 17 June 1864. The first lines, Batavia –Buitenzorg and Samarang–Vorstenlanden opened on 10 August 1867. They suffered big losses and bankruptcy. The colonial government assisted the company by forming the Staatsspoorwegen, a state-owned company on 6 April 1875. Their route stretched from Buitenzorg to Soerabaja. The private company Deli Spoorweg Maatschappij operated exclusively in North Sumatra, to transport rubber and tobacco around the Deli area.
In 1939, the total operational trackage was .
Following Indonesian independence in 1945 and Dutch recognition of its sovereignty in 1949, the various railway systems were combined into the Djawatan Kereta Api Republik Indonesia in 1953. The company traces its origins to 28 September 1945, which is marked today as the official birthday of the rail network. The DKARI network received its first diesel locomotives in 1952. These diesel locomotives slowly dominated the railway lines, first in Java and then in Sumatra, for the next two decades. Non-state railway systems nationwide retained their formal existence until 1958, when all the railway lines were nationalised under DKARI, including the Deli in North Sumatra.
The network was finally corporatised with the foundation of its successor Perusahaan Negara Kereta Api on 28 September 1963, its 18th anniversary, as part of the official celebrations held for the 1963-67 Railways Centennial. These celebrations also saw a renewed investment in the railway network's fleet. On 28 September 1970, PNKA was rebranded as Perusahaan Jawatan Kereta Api, which saw widespread dieselisation of the network and the retirement of its remaining steam powered assets.
Much of the branch lines constructed in the colonial era were dismantled or abandoned in the 1980s.
On 1 August 1990, PJKA was renamed once more to Perusahaan Umum Kereta Api. Law No. 13 of 1992 stated that the government operates railways, delegates operations to an operating body and provides and maintains railway infrastructure. Private companies were allowed to co-operate in railway operation work.
On 1 June 1999, Perumka was converted into a joint-stock company, PT Kereta Api . In May 2010, the branding was amended to become PT Kereta Api Indonesia .
Electric locomotives were always a minority, and no new electric locomotives were acquired until the 1970s. However, electric multiple units have been imported since 1976 for the Jabotabek commuter urban transport, which was spun off from KAI in August 2008.
After upgrading the rail between Purwosari station and Wonogiri station and the bridges to R42 rail, the line between Sangkrah station, Solo and Wonogiri switched to being served by heavy electric diesel locomotives.
On 3 May 2011, the company conducted a cargo train trial from Cikarang Dry Port to Surabaya. In December, a memorandum of understanding was signed between KAI and Bombardier Transportation. The project would have established final assembly of diesel-electric TRAXX Asia Locomotives in Surabaya, East Java for export and domestic use. The plant and project appear to have been abandoned as no TRAXX plant has been built in Surabaya.
In 2012, KAI and GE Transportation signed a Memorandum of Understanding to cooperate on train services, in particular assistance with traction motor remanufacturing. In the same year, Indonesian Railways allocated Rp20 billion to restore and renovate 20 heritage sites and historical railways on Java and Sumatra.
of the Jakarta-Surabaya line were double tracked in May 2014, followed by the completion of a double tracking project on the south coast in 2015. On 8 June 2015, the Duri-Tangerang double track project was inaugurated for KA Commuter Jabodetabek, but it could also be used for airport trains. Construction began in early 2015 to connect Cikarang Dry Port and Tanjung Priok Port to ease traffic.
The first trackage project of the Trans-Sulawesi Railway from Makassar to Pare-pare, with a length of, was completed in 2017. The train began service in 2018 with wider trackage than in Java to accommodate more weight and speed.

Assets

Revaluation of assets was conducted by the Ministry of Transportation. The company owned Rp35 trillion in land assets and Rp22 trillion in other assets. The exact value was expected to be determined by the end of 2011 or 2012, based on an audit by the Ministry of Finance.

Trackage

The company operates cape gauge and lines. The 1,067 mm gauge is the most common, used in Java and the majority of Sumatra, while the 1,435 mm gauge is used only in Aceh, the Trans-Sulawesi Railway, and Jabodebek LRT. The company previously operated gauge lines in Aceh and gauge lines for some tramway lines.
The total trackage laid in Indonesia was, although not all lines were in operation at the same time. The system spanned as of 2025, with the Aceh system, most of the West Sumatra system and most former steam tram lines abandoned, but including new tracks built alongside old tracks.
A memorandum of understanding was signed in 2010 to build of railway around Bali, which was expected to be completed in 2015.
The – railway line is a part of the planned reactivation of the Semarang–Ambarawa line and is to be the only railway in Indonesia without road crossings. It was planned to include eight flyovers and underpasses to improve safety in congested roads.

Rolling stock

As of 2024, KAI operated:
The company is a major customer of the local railway equipment industry, PT Industri Kereta Api, which produces its passenger coaches, freight wagons and electric multiple units.

Locomotives

KAI's diesel-electric locomotives are mostly made in the United States or Canada, diesel hydraulic locomotives are mostly made in Germany, and electric units are mostly made in Japan. AIC assembles diesel-electric TRAXX Asia Locomotives in Surabaya, East Java, in cooperation with Bombardier Transportation.
All locomotives of the KAI are diesel-powered. Most new locomotives use diesel-electric transmission, while shunters and older locomotives have hydraulic transmission. More than 400 locomotives are documented, but the number of operational locomotives is smaller.
Locomotives are required by regulation to use a combination of letters and numbers for designations. A letter or a combination of letters denotes the wheel arrangement, and a three-digit number indicates the class, starting from 0. A two-digit number represents the year of operations, and two- or three-digit after the year indicates the running number.
The steam locomotive classification was directly derived from the Japanese 1928 numbering system. Tank locomotives were numbered from the 10s, while tender locomotives were numbered from the 50s. Letter combinations were used for Mallet locomotives.

Named passenger trains

KAI Limited runs six classes of coaches in its various named passenger trains in Java and Sumatra, namely the Luxury/Imperial, Executive, Business, Priority, Economy Premium and Economy classes.
Alongside regular coaches, KAI operates a number of generator, baggage/parcels and dining cars which also compose these trainsets.

Exclusive carriages

The kereta wisata is a luxury class passenger car that can be rented and attached to a regular trainset for a specific journey. The main users of these exclusive carriages are government officials, corporate boards, extended families, and groups of artists or tourists. The rental fee is about for short trips such as Jakarta–Bandung or Jakarta–Cirebon and up to for long distance Jakarta–Surabaya trips. These carriages can accommodate up to 22 passengers, or 19 passengers for "Nusantara" tourist/observation cars with a large bedroom for two. Snacks, meals, and drinks are provided free of charge in these carriages. Since the 2020s, alongside these cars, KAI has debuted tourist versions of its long distance day trains for both local and international tourists. These trains have a capacity of 20 passengers on the "Imperial" class open coach/bar cars and "Retro" class lounge and dining cars, and 30 on the "Priority" class lounge/coach cars, but are powered by regular diesels as in the regular express trains. The first such train for tourists, the Java Priority, debuted in 2024 after more than half a century, becoming the first tourist-only service in the KAI network in Java since the 1960s.
All these cars, together with the panoramic observation style cars, the 2018 design open sleeper/coach cars and the younger 16-seat compartment sleeper-chair cars all attached to regular long distance trainsets, are all operated by subsidiary firm KAI Wisata and maintained for KAI by Industri Kereta Api Limited.