20. May 2025
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Pangandaran Panoramic Class from Jakarta to Bandung

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

Pangaradan Panoramic Class

Pangaradan Panoramic Class
4.6

Rating

 4.6/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Lovely views of the Indonesian countryside
  • Good and comfortable seating
  • Nice service throughout the journey
  • Cheap travel

Flyctory.com Cons

  • Ticket booking via agency or VPN only

I just had limited time in Indonesia during my October 2024 trip. Nonetheless, I definitely wanted to check out some of their rail experiences as well. The highlight in that regard was definitely my First Class trip with the Whoosh high speed train. I rode this train from Bandung to Jakarta. On the outbound train from the (still) capital and main city of the country to Bandung, I went for a trip with national rail PT KAI. The Pangandaran train, named after one of its stops in Southern Java, connects Jakarta with Banjar in central Java. I took the trip from Gambir station to Bandung in the Panorama Class.

 

Pangandaran Panoramic Class – Network and Tariff

The Pangandaran train connects Jakarta (Gambir Station) with Banjar. It comes with three classes, Economy, Executive and Panoramic. The Panoramic class is one car at one end of the train. The total travel time between the two terminal stations is roughly 7:30 hours. The travel time between Gambir Station and Bandung is about 3:15 hours. In general, the rail connections on Java are comparably good, the travel times on the lengthy islands are quite long. Trips from Jakarta to Surabaya in the very East of the island take about ten hours, for example.

You can buy tickets for Indonesian trains online. However, the PT KAI website feels to block foreign IP addresses. Booking via VPN felt challenging at least (maybe it is finally even impossible). Thus, I recommend using a travel agency like Traveloka. I booked my trip through them, which worked very well. I got a QR code with the ticket on my phone through their app. The booking fees are very low (4,000 IDR). My total travel costs for the one way ticket was 429,000 IDR, roughly 23 EUR. Economy class tickets are significantly lower.

 

Pangandaran Panoramic Class – At The Station

Gambir station offers good services. There are multiple stores and restaurants, which allow you to stock up before the trip. Bandung station is more limited, but also offers a few services if you go for the opposite direction. A very nice feature (which I wasn’t aware of before) is that the Executive and Panoramic class tickets allow you to use the lounge at the station (in Jakarta, Bandung does not offer that service).

The pictures below are from Bandung station. The signs at both stations are clear, there is a sufficient number of timetable screens. Both stations offer good public transport options. On top of that, rideshare apps like Grab offer easy and cheap connections to your final destination.

 

Pangandaran Panoramic Class – Rolling Stock

My trip was driven by a CMP20EMP train from GE Transportation. The train is labeled as CC206 in Indonesia. The diesel-electric train is running on the 1,067mm gauge typical for the country. It has a maximum speed of 160 km/h, but in fact does not operate faster than 120 km/h. The engine has a power output of 1,680 kW. The Panoramic car has larger windows and a partially glass ceiling. There are shutters, especially on top, in case the sun is getting too intense. The cars are air conditioned. The seats in Panoramic Class are in a 2-2 configuration and a really comfortable seat pitch. There is a table in the back of the seat in front of you and power outlets in the bottom of that seat.

PT KAI advertises WiFi in the trains. However, the connection did not work well during my trip and mobile network was superior during most of the trip. One end of the car offer a small bar section, as you receive catering during the trip. The train toilet at the other end was clean and felt really comfortable, even featuring an urinal.

 

Pangandaran Panoramic Class – The Ride

One reason why I really enjoyed the trip were the views of Indonesia it gave me. Leaving Jakarta, the train passed posher boroughs as well as more simple housing districts. Especially at crossings, you were able to see the real life, also in smaller villages. Especially the masses of scooters and light motorcycles is always impressing. Of course, you also pass numerous fields for different agricultural products as well. The train has tinted windows, so that some pictures below might not come with an ideal coloring. Here and there, you also see the high speed tracks of the Whoosh train.

The closer you get to Bandung, the more you also approach Indonesian hills and mountains. This is definitely the most catching and interesting part of the trip. Not only the iconic rice terraces, but also the nature itself is beautiful. Unfortunately, you also quite drastically see the destruction of the original rain forest. At Padalarang station West of Bandung, you could transfer to the Whoosh – which might be handy once the tracks of the high speed rail are extended towards the East. At this point, you have already reached the outskirts of Bandung, where I disembarked the train.

 

Pangandaran Panoramic Class – Service

The staff onboard was really friendly and helpful. Like during my whole trip, I had no issue getting around with English. As said, there was a little snack as well as free drinks during the trip, which were served during multiple occasions during the three hour journey. I shared it in my October 2024 Food I Had Onboard posting:

Food I Had Onboard XIX (October 2024)

 

 

Pangandaran Panoramic Class – My View

Riding the Whoosh was impressing – the Pangandaran Train, however, was the more memorable trip. I really liked exploring Indonesian country life through the large windows. The three hour trip tells you a lot about the country. On top of that, the service, in the station and on the train, is really good. Thus, I feel that this trip is an absolutely enjoyable must do when you are in the country.

 

Indonesia on Flyctory.com

Here are all my postings related to Indonesia:

 

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