Pematangsiantar to Medan

If you are coming back from Lake Toba, the road to Siantar and then the Siantar Ekspres to Medan is a calmer alternative to a long bus or shared car the whole way. The train is the only passenger service on the Siantar branch and takes a little under three hours.

The service: two trains a day leave Siantar for Medan, one early in the morning and one in the afternoon. It is ekonomi only, with face-to-face seating and a low subsidised fare. Seats sell out at weekends and around holidays, so book in Access by KAI in advance.

The route: the line runs down from Siantar through Dolok Merangir and Baja Linggei, past rubber and oil palm estates, to the junction at Tebing Tinggi. From there it follows the east coast main line via Rampah, Perbaungan and Lubuk Pakam, then joins the Kualanamu airport line at Araskabu for the final run into Medan station in the city centre.

Timing from Lake Toba: allow about an hour and a half by road from Parapat to Siantar. The afternoon train is the realistic choice if you are leaving the lake the same day; the early train suits a night in Siantar first.

Onward from Medan: Medan station is the terminus for the airport trains, so you can change straight onto the Medan to Kualanamu Airport service. For the outbound journey see Medan to Pematangsiantar.