Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said rainfall this year was significantly higher than in previous years, requiring planning beyond emergency responses to prevent similar disruptions from recurring.
Speaking during an inspection of flood-hit sites in Pekalongan, Purwagandhi said the visit aimed to ensure post-flood handling was effective and that the safety of rail operations remained fully assured.
Days of intense rainfall caused the Bremi and Meduri rivers to overflow, flooding railway tracks at several locations, including sections around kilometer markers 88+400 and 88+900 to 89+100.
Purwagandhi said briefings from local authorities and state-owned rail operator Kereta Api Indonesia, or KAI, showed flood mitigation could not be handled by a single institution alone.
KAI President Director Bobby Rasyidin said flooding between Jan. 16 and Jan. 19, 2026, affected two main locations in the Pekalongan area, forcing the cancellation of 124 passenger train services.
Rasyidin said KAI offered full refunds to all affected passengers, with claims accepted for up to seven days, and that about 85 percent of services had resumed, while the remainder faced delays due to speed limits.
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Translator: Kutnadi, Kenzu
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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