Surabaya to Jakarta via the Southern Line

Around 825km and ten and a half 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: the Bima is the overnight flagship and the Argo Semeru runs the same line at a different time of day; both go to Gambir and carry eksekutif and Compartment Suite accommodation. The Jayakarta (premium ekonomi) and the Gaya Baru Malam Selatan (ekonomi and eksekutif) are the cheaper options and terminate at Pasar Senen, so check which Jakarta station your train arrives at.

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.

For the outbound journey see Jakarta to Surabaya via the Southern Line.