Bandung railway station

The first generation building of Bandung Station

In the Wajah Bandoeng Tempo Dulu book written by Haryoto Kunto in 1984, the initial idea for building Bandung Station was related to the opening of plantations in Bandung around 1870. This station was inaugurated on 17 May 1884 during the reign of the Regent of Koesoemadilaga; at the same time the Batavia-Bandung train line was also opened via Bogor and Cianjur. At that time, plantation landlords (preangerplanters) used the railroad to send their plantation products to Batavia more quickly. To accommodate and store plantation products to be transported by train, warehouses were built to store goods in several places near Bandung Station, namely Jalan Cibangkong, Jalan Cikudapateuh, Kosambi, Kiaracondong, Braga, Pasirkaliki, Ciroyom and Andir areas. After the inauguration of the Bandung–Surabaya line on 1 November 1894, factory owners and sugar plantations from Central and East Java (Suikerplanters) rented train cars to Bandung to attend the first Congress of Sugar Plantation Entrepreneurs. The congress was the result of a meeting of the Executive Board of the Association of Sugar Plantation Entrepreneurs (Bestuur van de Vereniging van Suikerplanters) in Surabaya in 1896.[5]

The south entrance of Bandung Station ca. 1930 with a monument commemorating the 50th anniversary of Staatsspoorwegen

To remember the importance of this station, a monument was inaugurated in front of the south entrance of the station on 6 April 1925 designed by architect E.H. de Roo, built to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Staatsspoorwegen's (SS) contributions in Java. The monument is believed to be a gift from the Mayor of Bandung to the SS for his services in uniting Java with the railroad. The monument was lit by a thousand lights and was inaugurated with a ceremony attended by Bandung residents and high-ranking SS officers.[6][7][8]

In 1927–1928, a few years after the 50th anniversary of the SS, E.H. de Roo also changed the architecture of Bandung Station, one of which is marked by the stained glass decoration on the southern platform which is in the Art Deco style.[9] Previously, in 1918, the construction project for the new Bandung–Rancaekek–Jatinangor–Tanjungsari–Citali line began, then the Bandung–Citeureup–Majalaya line was built a year later, and the Citeureup–Banjaran–Pengalengan line was built in 1921. For the route to tea plantations, the route from Bandung to Kopo (Soreang) was built and then to Ciwidey.[5]

At the inauguration of the new Bandung Station, the Javabode newspaper wrote that the local community celebrated it for two consecutive days. The train is a means of transportation for Bandung plantation products, such as quinine, tea, coffee, and rubber, so that the city's economic growth is growing rapidly.[5]

In 1990, the north platform was built which eventually became the frontage of the station on Jalan Kebon Kawung.[5]

The interior of the station with the 2017 version of the signage

The building on the south side of Bandung Station has an Art Deco architectutal style, marked by the shape of the building which tends to be cubes in the front hall. The facade of the building is designed to follow the old facade of the station (the old station building is Indische Empire style like other SS stations), but is dominated by transparent fields that make it different from the old architecture.[10]

The north entrance to this station was formerly the Bandung Locomotive Depot which has now been decommissioned, while the south gate is used as the second entrance. In front of the station are rows of Bandung Operational Area II offices whose yards are also made up for the station parking lot, mess hall, Reska Multi Usaha Bandung office, special train police unit, and KAI health unit. To the northeast of the station is the KAI head office. To the west of this station there is the former Bandung Gudang Station which is no longer active because there is no longer any activity of transporting goods there and it has been replaced by the Paskal Hyper Square shopping center.

This station has ten railway lines; consists of six main lines with tracks 3 and 4 being straight tracks plus four lines for train shunting activities. All lines are used for train stops and also as a train stop point. All passenger trains that pass on the Padalarang–Kroya line must stop at this station.

This station is equipped with a locomotive depot in the northwest of the station complex and a train depot which is quite large and has a boundary to Ciroyom Station and has a rail turntable.

This station has a passenger crossing bridge to connect passengers, both from the north station and from the south station to the platform. In addition, the platform was raised on line 1 and the platform between lines 2 and 3, as well as the elongation of the platform between lines 4 and 5 and the platform between lines 6 and 7, to support passengers going to the flyover. Therefore, passengers from/to the platform do not need to cross the rails.[11]

North building
Line 10		Rail siding
Line 9
Island platform (under construction)
Line 8		Rail siding
Line 7
Side platform (under construction as an island platform)
Line 6		Inter-city train stop
Line 5
Island platform
Line 4		Inter-city train stop
Line 3		Inter-city train stop
	← (Ciroyom/Cimindi)	Garut Cibatuan to Purwakarta, Padalarang, Cibatu, and Garut Greater Bandung Local Train to Purwakarta, Padalarang, and Cicalengka	(Cikudapateuh) → (Cikudapateuh) →
Island platform
Line 2	← (Ciroyom/Cimindi)	Garut Cibatuan to Purwakarta, Padalarang, Cibatu, and Garut Greater Bandung Local Train to Purwakarta, Padalarang, and Cicalengka	(Cikudapateuh) → (Cikudapateuh) →
Line 1	← (Ciroyom/Cimindi)	Garut Cibatuan to Purwakarta, Padalarang, Cibatu, and Garut Greater Bandung Local Train to Purwakarta, Padalarang, and Cicalengka	(Cikudapateuh) → (Cikudapateuh) →
Side platform
South building

This station is often used as a pilot train station by KAI so that the quality of service is made on par with airports. Therefore, KAI made this station the first train station in Indonesia to implement a boarding pass ticket printing system since February 2016,[12] as well as an X-ray baggage inspection system in October 2018.[13]

In order to answer the work needs of train passengers, KAI together with the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises of Indonesia (BUMN) inaugurated co-working spaces at nine major train stations in Java. The co-working space was inaugurated by the Minister of BUMN at the time, Rini Soemarno at Bandung Station on 6 April 2019. This co-working space is equipped with a table and chairs and is connected to the internet via Wi-Fi.[14]

On 28 September 2022, KAI has started testing boarding services using the facial recognition system at this station, before it is planned to be used at all passenger departure stations in Indonesia.[15]

The exit signal made by Siemens on the west of the Bandung Station emplacement has now been replaced with a new signal made by LEN.

This station is the first train station in Indonesia to use an electric signaling system. In 1970, the station began using the Siemens-produced DrS60 series. In December 2021, as part of the signaling modernization efforts, the old electrical signaling system produced by Siemens was replaced with a new signal produced by PT Len Industri. This effort was made because the old electrical signaling system had been used for 50 years.[16] At the same time, the rail track between this station and Ciroyom Station is used as a double track.

Intercity trains

• Argo Parahyangan from and to Gambir
• Argo Wilis from and to Surabaya Gubeng
• Harina from and to Surabaya Pasar Turi via Semarang Tawang
• Lodaya from and to Solo Balapan
• Malabar from and to Malang
• Mutiara Selatan from and to Surabaya Gubeng
• Turangga from and to Surabaya Gubeng
• Ciremai Ekspres from and to Semarang Tawang
• Pangandaran to Banjar and Gambir

Local trains

• Lokal Bandung Raya to Padalarang and Cicalengka
• Cibatu to Purwakarta and Cibatu

• Over Night Services to and from Surabaya Kota via Tasikmalaya–Lempuyangan–Madiun–Jombang