Malang to Jakarta by Train

Around 880km and thirteen to fifteen hours, running the full width of Java from Malang through Blitar, Madiun, Solo, Yogyakarta and Purwokerto into Jakarta. It is the longest scheduled passenger journey in the country.

Every service runs overnight, which is the sensible way to take it: board in Malang in the evening, wake somewhere in Central Java, arrive in Jakarta in the morning.

Which trains run this route: Gajayana is the eksekutif flagship. Matarmaja, Brantas and Majapahit serve the budget end into Pasar Senen — considerably cheaper, and a considerably harder night.

This is the route where class genuinely matters. Fourteen hours in older ekonomi stock is punishing in a way that four hours is not. If you are going to pay for eksekutif anywhere on the Indonesian network, pay for it here.