Ambarawa Railway Museum Preserves Central Java′s Rail History

RRI.CO.ID, Bandung - The Semarang area in Central Java features various destinations that preserve Indonesia’s long historical journey, one of which is the Ambarawa Railway Museum. This heritage destination presents railway history through station buildings, rolling stock collections, and railway technology from different eras.

Vice President of Corporate Communication at State-owned Railways Company PT. Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI), Anne Purba, said that the Ambarawa Railway Museum is located at the former Ambarawa Station, also known as Willem I Station. The station was built by the Nederlands-Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij (NIS) and began operations on 21 May 1873, coinciding with the opening of the Kedungjati–Ambarawa railway line.

“The existence of Willem I Station is closely linked to the development of the Ambarawa area at that time. The name Willem I refers to Fort Willem I located in the Ambarawa region. During its time, this station was used to support public mobility, goods distribution, and surrounding area activities,” revealed Anne on Tuesday, 15 September 2026.

One important part of the Ambarawa Railway Museum’s history is the existence of the cog railway line to Bedono. This line used rack railway technology, which helped trains navigate steep terrain in the mountainous area. This technology represents one of the significant milestones in Indonesia’s railway development, as it adapted to the region’s geographical conditions.

The journey of Ambarawa Station continued as part of railway heritage preservation. On 21 April 1978, Ambarawa Station was officially inaugurated as the Ambarawa Railway Museum.

Various collections housed within it, ranging from steam locomotives, railway rolling stock, to operational support equipment, depict the development of Indonesia’s rail transport over time. Public visits to the Ambarawa Railway Museum have been recorded in recent years. Throughout 2024, the museum was visited by 161,395 visitors.

The number of visits in 2025 reached 180,944 visitors, while the January–August 2026 period recorded 148,148 visitors. Overall, the period from 2024 to August 2026 totaled 490,487 visitors.

Public travel to the Semarang area and its surroundings is also supported by railway services. Throughout January–August 2026, Semarang Tawang Station served 1,262,315 boarding and alighting passengers, consisting of 628,946 boarding passengers and 633,369 alighting passengers. Meanwhile, Semarang Poncol Station recorded 1,867,005 boarding and alighting passengers, with details of 902,984 boarding passengers and 964,021 alighting passengers. (Annaila Azzahra-EN)