Surabaya to Jakarta via the Southern Line

Around 825km and eleven to twelve and a half hours, running west from Surabaya Gubeng via Madiun, Solo, Yogyakarta and Purwokerto into Jakarta. This is the southern of the two corridors between Indonesia's largest cities.

It is slower than the north coast route by two to three hours, and worth it if you care about the journey. The southern line crosses the most varied country on the island, and overnight services are timed so that dawn finds you in the hills of Central Java rather than on an industrial coastal plain.

Which trains run this route: Bima is the overnight eksekutif flagship, and carries Compartment Suite accommodation on some formations. Turangga and Mutiara Selatan serve the corridor at other times.

Depart from Gubeng, not Pasarturi. The southern line runs from Gubeng. Pasarturi serves the northern coastal route only, and the two stations sit on opposite sides of Surabaya.