Minangkabau Airport to Padang

The airport train runs from a station beside the terminal at Minangkabau International Airport (BIM) into Padang, calling at Duku, Tabing, Air Tawar, Alai and Padang (Simpang Haru) before terminating at Pulau Aie, close to the old harbour quarter. The full run of roughly 27km takes around 50 minutes to an hour.

How often? Around six trains a day in each direction, spread from early morning to evening. That is not frequent, so check the timetable against your flight before you land: if you arrive in a gap, a taxi or ride-hail will be quicker than waiting.

The train. The service, called the Minangkabau Ekspres, opened in May 2018 and uses modern four-car diesel multiple units built by INKA. It is single-class and air-conditioned, with plenty of luggage space. The airport station is built in the Minangkabau style, with the upswept rumah gadang roof.

Tickets. This is a local service, so it sits in the KA Lokal section of the Access by KAI app rather than on KAI's long-distance booking site. You can also buy at the station on the day. There is a single flat fare regardless of distance.

Onward connections. Padang station is also the departure point for the Pariaman Express up the coast to Pariaman. West Sumatra's small network connects to nothing else, so travel on to Bukittinggi or the rest of Sumatra is by road or air.