The Java Rail Pass is a proposed tourist rail pass to promote train travel in Java and diversify tourism beyond Bali.
The island of Java has one of the most extensive railway networks in Southeast Asia, yet it barely registers interest on an international level.
Indonesian Railways (PT Kereta Api Indonesia) has a website that is not designed for tourism. There is no map on the website, so I was stunned when I saw the official rail map at one of the stations.
[Full full-size map.]
While this map includes current and inactive lines, you could easily spend a month travelling around by rail on the current lines.
I propose that the national railway of Indonesia create a Java Rail Pass to help promote tourism in Indonesia.
The Java Rail Pass should be as famous as the Eurail Pass and Japan Rail Pass. When people are thinking of rail passes around the world, the Java Rail Pass should be one that is mentioned among these legendary passes.
Java has some of the most scenic railways in the world. The Bandung to Yogyakarta route should be featured more often among the world’s great train journeys. Every time I travel by train in Java I am amazed at how beautiful the scenery is.
[Terraced rice fields in Java.]
What is also notable is how few international tourists there are riding the railways of Java.
Indonesia has been trying to diversify tourism beyond Bali with the 10 New Balis plan (now 5 New Balis). This is a good start, though there are other ways that can help spread tourism outside of Bali.
Here is what the pass might look like, and what it would take to make it happen.
Java Rail Pass
A Java Rail Pass would be relatively simple to set up, and it could use the Eurail Pass as a model. Here are some features that could be included in the pass.
Pass length
10 travel days in 30 days
30 days unlimited pass
This is a pass structure similar to Eurail, and it doesn’t need to be overly complicated with the amount of days offered.
Pass type
Borrowing from Eurail again, offer a 1st Class and 2nd Class ticket tier. Indonesia doesn’t use the 1st and 2nd class naming system (they have Eksekutif, Bisnis, Ekonomi), so specify what you get with each pass.
High-speed rail
Each pass type includes 1 ride on the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (Whoosh) in any direction.
Airport rail link
Passes are valid on the Jakarta, Yogyakarta, and Solo airport rail links (one inbound and one outbound per pass).
Booking App
The pass should be on a purpose-built app, separate from the current KAI app.
All seats need to be booked in advance, but there should be no extra booking fee (like Eurail charges on some trains).
Ferry offer
The Eurail Pass includes deals with some ferries. Using that as an inspiration, I would include ferry deals with the pass in order to entice people away from Java befoe or after their trip. The offer could be:
10 travel days in 30 days: 1 ferry ride to or from Java to any island in Indonesia.
30 days unlimited pass: 2 ferry rides to and from Java to any island in Indonesia.
A 1st Class Pass gets you a private cabin bed, and a 2nd Class Pass gets you a bunk bed (with discount offer to upgrade).
With the ferry offer being for anywhere in Indonesia, this may compel a visitor to consider destinations further away. For example Surabaya (java) to Labuan Bajo (Flores) or Makassar (Sulawesi).
Bali Explorer
The purpose of the ferry offer is to entice visitors to other islands, but the reality is that most people are still going to go to Bali.
The ferry from Java to Bali is a short trip and costs less than 50 cents USD, so it’s not a great added value to the pass. An alternative would be to add a “Bali Explorer” option as part of the pass.
The Bali Explorer offers free transfers from Ketapang (the station near the Java ferry port), to selected destinations in Bali that is NOT in South Bali. For example there could be the option to go somewhere in North Bali or West Bali. This offer could change monthly or quarterly to rotate the offer to other parts of the island.
The Bali Explorer would need to be booked in advance, say, a 3-day cut-off before time of travel. As this is the last (or first) day of travel, pass holders will know their start or end date.
There may barely be enough passengers to fill a bus in the early days of the pass. With the pre-booked seats, appropriate transport can be organised in advance. Somedays there may only be a minivan full of passengers, while multiple coaches would be required on busy days.
For passengers who want to go to Denpasar for the beaches in the south, a bus ticket can be booked in the app for an extra fee. This still provides good value as it’s a hassle to arrange bus transport at the port. With this option, a passenger can transfer to a waiting bus at Ketapang Station.
In-app travel offers
The app should include discounts (only available in the app) for tours and hotels. These offers can rotate every month or be permanent.
Other offers could be for van transfers to places near a station. For example, maybe there is a beach that is 20 km from a town with a station. This could be a shared van or a hotel offering transfers.
A Eurail and Interral version of the Java Rail Pass
The Eurail pass is only available for for non-European residents. For Europeans, there is the Interrail Pass. A similar set-up could be considered for the Java Rail Pass if the national tourism body wants to provide a separate offer for Indonesian citizens.
Implementing the Java Rail Pass
The Java Rail Pass has the advantage of working with one rail operator for regular trains, so it doesn’t have the multiple operator problem that Eurail has. The only other operator outside of KAI is the high-speed railway operator, so a deal would need to be worked out to include Whoosh in the ticket.
[Whoosh high-speed train at Padalarang.]
A deal also needs to be worked out with Pelni (the national cargo and passenger shipping company of Indonesia). KAI and Pelni are both state-owned enterprises, though it might be easier said than done to get the two to come to an agreement.
Economy tickets in Indonesia are already heavily subsidised, so the pass should be viewed as bringing people to Java who might not have otherwise gone.
One of the most important details would be the booking app and website. The current KAI website is useless for foreigners trying to plan travels, and the website is blocked in some countries.
Make a separate website for the pass, clearly advertised on the KAI website.
The app should be more user-friendly for international visitors. The current app (Access by KAI) is only available in Indonesian.
I would prefer the option of using desktop or app for reserving tickets. Most people have a mobile device now, so the app-only booking would be if the app download is compulsory.
The app and website should include destination guides to give inspiration of where to go.
Businesses can offer discounts to entice passengers to their hotel or tourism business, or the government can add offers if they want to bring more people to an under-visited destination.
While the app can help in suggesting where to go, if the pass becomes successful then destinations will take on a life of their own. A South Korean TikToker might make a guesthouse with rice terrace views famous overnight, or Solo might become the next food pilgrimage city with the help of established travel media.
Java Rail Pass in context of 5 New Balis
I was initially hesitant of the idea of the Java Rail Pass as Indonesia is already heavily skewed towards Java. This is true for infrastructure spending, and this is one of the reasons that the new capital is in Kalimantan.
After travelling around Java it’s clear how few international visitors are going to Java. Most visitors to Java go to Yogyakarta (for Borobudur) and Mount Bromo. You can travel for days without seeing a foreign tourist in other destinations in Java. This pass tries to distribute visitors to the rest of island, and offer onward alternatives to the rest of Indonesia
In an ideal world, this would be the Indonesia Rail Pass that can be used in Sumatra, Bali, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and Java. We are decades away from this being a reality, so it’s best to make-do with what Indonesia already has.
The Java Rail Pass would be a low-cost project to try and get more visitors interested in visiting Indonesia beyond Bali. The pass is the sort of travel product that would generate free media buzz, getting featured on NY Times Travel and the like.
The article is the first in a series of alternative 5 New Balis. I will be looking at other ways that Indonesia can diversify tourism beyond Bali.
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Great idea but how are you going to get this article in front of the PM, Minister of Transport, Minister responsible for tourism, Head of Indonesian tourist board and the head of Indonesian Railways? (forgive me if they are not the exact titles)
Thanks, maybe someday some will see!