Transportation from Jakarta to Bandung

West Java (Jawa Barat) is one of the 27 provinces in Indonesia and has Bandung, a city of about 2 million as the capital. Bandung is 180 km from Jakarta. The province is bordered by Central Java on the east, by Indian ocean on the south, separated from Sumatra island by Sunda strait on the west, and it shares border with Jakarta, capital of the Republic of Indonesia on the north. The people of West Java, the Sundanese, are noted for Wayang Golek, Angklung bamboo music and Jaipong dance.
Map of Jawa Barat showing key towns and key roads.
Bandung has no international airport. The cool township can only be reached via road or rail. The majority of tourists visit Bandung by road, such as buses, minibuses, taxis or by private car. Taxi from Jakarta's International airport to Bandung costs about Rp. 250,000. The distance from Jakarta to Bandung is on the well-kept Jagorawi Expressway.

Street-wise Tip

Blue Bird is a reliable name in taxi. Blue Bird has consistantly being mentioned as good and safe even though the company operates several taxi names, for example, Siverbird. To call a Blue Bird taxi in Jakarta, the telephone number is 7989000 - there is minimium charge for phone booking.

Trains running the Jakarta-Bandung route is very popular. It is advisable to book the train ticket ahead of time. Otherwise, be prepared to queue for more than an hour and if it is Friday or the weekend, it is virtually impossible to get a ticket at the train station without advanced booking.

N.B. In Jakarta, taxis alway use the meters but in some places (such as train station), the taxis inside the parking area may refused to use the meter. Get taxis from the street. You should always be careful. Lock the doors when in a taxi. This is to prevent strangers jumping into the car in traffic jams and at stop-sign road junctions.

[ Side-bar: Train service is available throughout Java but only parts of Sumatra around Padang, West Sumatra, Medan in North Sumatra, South Sumatra and Lampung. Several trains run between Jakarta and Surabaya. The most comfortable are the air-conditioned "Bima" sleeper train and the "Mutiara" - both travel at night. The "Bima" passes through Yogyakarta and Solo, while the Mutiara takes the northern route through Semarang. Another train, the "Senja Utama" is an express service to Yogyakarta and Solo. It has reclining seats but no air-conditioning. Trains to Bandung have regular service from Jakarta and Yogyakarta. The "Parahyangan" offers four services a day between Jakarta and Bandung, taking about three hours. ]

Street-wise Tip
Some trains are dirty and are full with passengers. (N.B.Trains and Express service buses leaving Jakarta are jammed packed towards the end of "Ramadhan" - the fasting month for Muslims. Many people return to their villages from Jakarta for the occassion.)

Trains between Jakarta and Bandung (called the "Parahyangan" train) are good and clean. Some of the coaches (the executive class) are air-conditioned. It costs Rp. 20.000,- (for business class) and Rp. 32.000,- (for the executive class). The ride lasts around 3 hours. There is also a faster train between Bandung and Jakarta called the "Argo Gede" train. The cost is Rp. 40.000, and the ride takes 2.5 hours.

TIME SCHEDULE of Executive Train leaving Jakarta
Destination Departure(WIB) Arrival(WIB) Train Fare (Rp.)
Gambir - Bandung 10.00
18.00		 12.30
20.30		 Argo Gede 40.000
Gambir - Ps. Turi (Surabaya) 09.30
21.30		 18.30
06.30		 Argo Bromo Anggrek 185.000
160.000
Gambir - Ps. Turi (Surabaya) 20.05
07.05		 05.05
16.50		 Argo Bromo 140.000
Jakarta - Gubeng (Surabaya) 18.00 06.05
 Bima 115.000
Gambir - Ps. Turi (Surabaya) 17.30 03.25 Sembrani 115.000
Gambir - Solo 21.30 04.30 Argo Lawu 115.000
Gambir - Solo 08.00 15.00 Dwipangga 160.000
Gambir - Solo 19.40 05.29 Senja Utama 80.000
Gambir - Yogya 06.10 13.52 Fajar Utama 76.000
Gambir - Yogya 19.20
20.40		 03.42
05.15		 Senja Utama 76.000
Gambir - Tawang (Semarang) 17.00 22.30 Argo Muria 115.000
Gambir - Tawang (Semarang) 08.35 15.16 Fajar Utama 72.000

TIME SCHEDULE of Executive Train from Outer Jakarta
Destination Departure(WIB) Arrival(WIB) Train Fare (Rp.)
Bandung - Gambir 06.30
14.30		 09.00
17.00		 Argo Gede 40.000
Ps. Turi (Surabaya) - Gambir 09.00
21.00		 18.00
06.00		 Argo Bromo Anggrek 185.000
160.000
Ps. Turi (Surabaya)-Gambir 19.40
17.20		 04.40
06.20		 Argo Bromo 140.000
Gubeng (Surabaya) - Gambir 18.15 06.30 Bima 115.000
Ps. Turi (Surabaya) - Jakarta 17.35 03.45 Sembrani 115.000
Solo - Gambir 08.00 15.30 Argo Lawu 115.000
Solo - Gambir 21.00 05.00 Dwipangga 160.000
Solo - Gambir 18.00 04.56 Senja Utama 80.000
Yogya - Gambir 07.00 15.29 Fajar Utama 76.000
Yogya - Gambir 18.00
20.00		 02.15
09.16		 Senja Utama 76.000
Tawang (Semarang)- Gambir 05.00 10.30 Argo Muria 115.000
Tawang (Semarang)- Gambir 20.30 04.05 Senja Utama 72.000

WIB : Times for West Indonesia (+7 GMT)
Rp.  : Indonesia Rupiah

Reservation only 7 days before departure. Information by phone call :
Jakarta: telp. (021) 6928515, (021) 3862361, (021) 3842777.
Surabaya : Telp. (031) 5345014, 5475115.
Semarang: Telp (024) 544544.
Solo: Telp (0271) 44122.
Bandung: Telp. (022) 4206917

Emergency Call: Police 110 or 525-0110, Ambulance 119 or 334-030, Red Cross 390-8459 or 390 8422, Fire brigade 113, Search & Rescue 550-1111 and Information 108

Credits to http://www.indonesiatourism.com for the information on train schedules.