First ‘Railink’ journey from Kuala Namu expected soon

As the new Kuala Namu International Airport in Medan is set to start operating on Thursday, its high-speed train are also due to begin service, which will make direct trips between the airport and downtown Medan.

The trains, simply called Railink, will have a travel time of roughly 30 to 35 minutes to travel 29 kilometers between the airport and Medan, while the journey by car would take about 60 to 90 minutes.

“There will be 20 departures a day. Ten departures will be from Medan Station to the airport and the other 10 from the opposite direction and the first train will depart at 4 a.m.,” PT Railink senior vice president of marketing and communications Mey Hasibuan said.

She told The Jakarta Post Travel on Tuesday that the Railink service aimed to provide at least one departure per hour and the schedule would be in accordance with the airport’s peak schedule.

“We are trying to provide trains during the peak flight schedule,” she added.

Down in Medan, passengers can take the Railink from the Stasiun Besar Medan (on the 2nd floor) located in the western part of the city. The price of a ticket will be Rp 80,000 (US$8).

Meanwhile, in Kuala Namu, the Railink station is integrated with the airport itself.

For its initial operation in July and August, two sets of trains will be ready to serve passengers . Each set could accommodate up to 308 passengers.

Passenger options:

Besides the Railink service, there are also other public transportation services available from the airport.
1. The Damri Bus. This bus is serving two routes, from the airport to Amplas area and to Medan Fair area. The ticket price ranges from Rp 10,000 to Rp 15,000.
2. The ALS Bus. This bus serves the route to Binjai city near Medan. The ticket price is Rp 30,000 (US$30).
3. The third option is the taxi services. There are several taxi companies offering services between the airport and Medan, including Blue Bird, Express, Karsa, Nice, Puskopai, Kokapura and Mitra.

Kuala Namu Airport facts:

1. Kuala Namu International Airport is Indonesia’s second largest airport after Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta.
2. It is the first airport in Indonesia where the check-in area accessible for non-travelers, similar to airports in Hong Kong and Singapore.
3. It is the first Indonesian airport with a city air terminal, where passengers can check-in, obtain boarding passes and check in luggage in Medan. Afterwards that they only have to get on Railink to the airport and go straight to the boarding lounges.
4. It is the first airport in Indonesia connected to the city by integrated trains.
5. Airport management firm Incheon will act as consultant to the Kuala Namu Airport to help it become a world class airport.
6. Several airlines such as AirAsia and Garuda have announced that they will start operating from the Kuala Namu Airport.

Read also:

Medan’s new international airport to start initial operation

Seven things you need to know about Soekarno-Hatta International Airport