KAI to reactivate heritage rail lines starting 2027, beginning with Kedungjati–Tuntang
The operator manages 659 railway heritage assets and plans to reconnect the Semarang–Ambarawa heritage corridor, with the culture ministry pushing heritage-driven economic use.
KAI president director announced at the National Railway Heritage Symposium held at Lawang Sewu, Semarang, that the company will begin reactivating heritage railway lines in 2027, starting with the Kedungjati–Tuntang section. The goal is to reconnect the heritage corridor linking Semarang, Tanggung, Kedungjati, Tuntang and Ambarawa, restoring service over lines that carry substantial colonial-era railway heritage.
KAI currently manages 659 designated railway heritage assets. In parallel, the culture ministry framed railway heritage as an economic resource, promoting documentation, educational and tourism use, and collaborative governance involving KAI, local governments, universities and preservation communities. Reactivation projects of this kind combine civil works on neglected track with unusual documentation burdens: condition surveys of heritage structures, inventories of protected assets, and coordination with conservation authorities. The program has no announced budget or tender schedule yet, and timelines for heritage projects frequently slip, but it opens a distinct niche around digitizing asset inventories and project documentation that sits alongside the larger commuter and intercity investment pipeline.