The CHEAPEST TRAIN I’ve Ever Been On! Indonesia Railbus Review

The CHEAPEST TRAIN I’ve Ever Been On! Indonesia Railbus Review

Today we’ll be taking what is probably  the most unique train in Indonesia,   a Railbus service which travels through  both beautiful countryside and city   centre roads all on the same trip, so  let’s go and check it out it together! Hello & welcome to Wonogiri, a town  of 88,000 people in Central Java.

Java is Indonesia’s and indeed the world’s most  populated island with some 148 million people. The unique train we’ll be taking  today connects Wonogiri to Surakarta,   the royal historic capital of Java which  is known locally nowadays as Solo City.

Our journey starts at the small station  here, which is nothing more than a one window   staffed ticket office, a small waiting  room and a couple of security guards. But then, it doesn’t need much, as there are only  two return service per day, on this one route.

There is plenty of free electricity here as well. The inbound service arrives around 15 minutes  before our scheduled departure. We would have   caught the train out here, however it was  fully booked with a school trip party. The train in question is a 3-car diesel railbus,  operated by KAI, or Indonesian Railways.

The service is named Batara  Kresna, or the BK line to locals. Boarding is by way of these small steps up  to the coach. No level boarding is available. All seating is in airline style,  and is in a 2+2 configuration. I love what they’ve done with the  outside of the station too. Some  

Simple plants and decoration  makes it look really great! Before we get going, just a quick check of the  prohibited items to make sure I’m in compliance… No snakes, durian, guns, knives,  drugs, or lying down. Check! The doors are closing, so now  let’s check out our route!

We depart on-time at 12:00.  Our route is just 37km today,   and is scheduled to take 1 hour and 45  minutes of travel time arriving at 1.45pm. The cost of the ticket on this train is  a quite unbelievable 4,000 Indonesian   Rupiah (£0.20, €0.24, $0.26). It’s the cheapest  mainline train ticket I’ve ever bought.

The track on this line is Cape Gauge, or  1067mm between the rails as is all the   legacy network in Indonesia and there’s  some fabulous semaphore signals too! The majority of the line is single track,   with some strategic passing  places, not that they’re required!

OK let’s move back to the rear coach where it’s  a bit quieter and go and check out the seats… There’s no hiding the fact that  they’re just plastic moulded seats,   but they do have a nice natural angle to  them and padding on both the bum and back.

The legroom is good, obviously on these seats  by the doors, but even on the normal seats. Luggage can be stored on the  plentiful overhead racks,   and scrolling digital displays show  upcoming stops and service information. There are no toilets, power sockets,  WiFi or catering onboard 🙂

While it may not be the most  scenic route in the country,   there’s still some nice  #TrainWindowViews to be seen. We make a few stops in small  towns and villages along the way,   like here in Sukoharjo, which  has a population of just 8,000.

From the looks of the passengers onboard,  this service mainly serves older people   off to do some shopping in the bigger  town, or kids heading to or from school. If you want AD-FREE early access to every  video, great perks and to help me to do  

BIGGER & BETTER reviews, then become a  Channel Member from just £1.99 per month. Just click the link above now, or the  JOIN button in every video. Thank you! Did you know this railbus was  actually built locally in Indonesia? And it certainly isn’t fast, with  a top speed of just 30km/h (19mph).

When you consider the whole 37km route,  our average speed is just 21km/h (13mph). But it’s not about the speed,  it’s about the journey, right? However I’ll tell you what IS about the speed… Indonesia’s BRAND NEW ‘Whoosh’ high-speed train!

I was lucky enough to get a ride onboard  before it even opened to the public,   so if you want to see that  video, click the link above now! We are now running right next to the houses  and streets on the outskirts of Surakarta, or  

Solo City as it’s known locally, and will make one  final stop before we start the on-street running. Solokota Station serves the  people to the east of the city,   and is quite a grand affair  for its 4 trains per day.

OK, so now the fun is about to start. The  unique thing about this line is the fact that   from now until the end of the line, we will  run along the street with all other traffic. Not just next to it, but actually  in one of the traffic lanes.

It’s quite something to experience.  While it is not unique in the world,   it just feels, I don’t know,  a bit more dangerous here. It even runs right past the front door of our  hotel, the Royal Surakarta Heritage. Btw I   can recommend this 5-star hotel highly,  and it only costs around €30 per night.

OK, so to summarise today’s trip. Well it was never about the speed or comfort,  of which there was very little of each. But for a really cheap, authentic railway  experience, I had an absolute blast! If you’re in Solo, and have some  free time, then why not check it out.

By the way the buses between Solo and  Wonogiri cost about double the price   of the train, but they do take half the time 🙂 I have to say also, all the cars and bikes  were very well behaved around the train,   and I didn’t see any near misses.

The driver certainly wasn’t afraid  to use the horn just in case though! I will have many more trips  coming up in Indonesia very soon,   including the newly launched compartment  suites service from Surabaya to Jakarta. If you have any recommendations of trains  to try for when I’m back in Indonesia,  

Then leave me a comment below! The final section of this trip, we run adjacent to  the city’s raised BRT stops cut completely across   4 lanes of traffic, which are thankfully  being held back by some railway staff. The station is just beyond this crossing. I filmed this arrival shot earlier in the day.

Have you been on any interesting railbus  trips before? Which route did you do,   and how did you find it? Let  me know in the comments below! By the way, I’m always open to new  video ideas, so send me a DM on  

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Hello and welcome back to Indonesia, where we’ll be checking out a very unique ‘train’ today!

The Batara Kresna Railbus runs between Solo City and Wonogirl in Central Java, and combines stunning scenery and exciting on-street running… so let’s go and check it out together!

Date of Filming: 19/10/23
Camera: GoPro Hero 12 Black
Operator: KAI (Indonesian Railways)
Departure: Wonogiri, Indonesia
Arrival: Solo City, Indonesia
Cost: 4,000 Indonesian Rupiah (£0.20, €0.24, $0.26)

To check out my video on Indonesia’s WHOOSH high-speed train, click here: https://youtu.be/bkcgW4RdjR0

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00:00 – Intro
00:58 – Wonogiri & Station
02:05 – Boarding
03:08 – Route Map
03:32 – Departure & Priving
04:26 – Seat Tour!
05:18 – #TrainWindowViews
06:04 – Stations Along the Way
06:58 – Train Info
07:40 – Solo City Suburbs
08:38 – On-Street Running!
10:06 – Trip Summary
10:52 – Arrival at Solo Purwosari
11:20 – Outro