Indonesia inaugurated Soekarno-Hatta Airport Rail Link (“Rail Link”), a new rail route that connects Jakarta to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, reducing the travel time to downtown Jakarta from over two hours to 55 minutes.

The new railway service, with a price tag of IDR 5 trillion (US$370 million), is a 34-kilometre route that links the airport to Manggarai Station in South Jakarta.

Currently, as Manggarai Station is under renovation, Sudirman Baru station serves as the temporary terminus for the city centre. Rail Link will be fully operational next year with a total of five stops, stretching over 37 kilometres and utilising existing tracks of Jakarta’s commuter lines.

Carrying 272 passengers per trip and operating 42 single trips per day, tickets are sold at a flat price of IDR 70,000 (US$5). The new rail service, already linked to the airport’s Skytrain service and expected to be integrated with other public transportation networks in the city, is expected to alleviate the worsening gridlock to and from the airport.

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