The Railway Engineering Center (BTP) Class I Semarang of the Directorate General of Railways of the Ministry of Transportation, together with PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) Operating Region 4 Semarang, held the 157th anniversary of the first train ride in Indonesia on Saturday, 10 August 2024. This commemoration was carried out by conducting a Napak Tilas with a train as far as 25 km from Semarang Tawang Bank Jateng Station to Tanggung Station, Grobogan Regency.

This Napak Tilas activity was attended by 120 participants consisting of a community of train lovers, transport observers, elements of Tanggungharjo Village and Tanggungharjo District of Grobogan Regency as well as internal ranks of the DJKA Ministry of Transportation and Internal KAI.

Head of BTP Class I Semarang, Rudi Pitoyo, said that this activity is a commemoration from the ranks of today's railways to remember the history of the start of railways in Indonesia 157 years ago. "I feel proud and emotional to be in one of the 4 oldest stations in Indonesia. The long journey of railways brings enthusiasm for us to continue to realize connectivity and accessibility, realize excellent service and also guarantee train safety," Rudi explained.

Meanwhile, head of KAI Daop 4 Semarang, Daniel Johannes Hutabarat, added: "If there was no first journey 157 years ago, there would be no railway progress like today. Repeating 157 years ago, Indonesia is the first country in Southeast Asia to have a train. We, as the next generation of railway people, must be grateful that railway transportation in Indonesia continues to progress. It is hoped that later, rail transportation can continue to grow year by year and become the backbone of national transportation," Daniel said.

The commemoration of the First Train Ride was filled with various series of events, including Joyride Semarang Tawang - Tanggung pp using trains, showing videos on the history of railways, discussions related to connectivity and rail services in Central Java-DIY, tumpengan (special dish), and live music performance.

On this footstep trip, it passes through 4 stations, which are the four oldest stations in Indonesia, including: Semarang Tawang Bank Jateng Station, Alastua Station, Brumbung Station, and Tanggung Station. This line was first opened on 10 August 1867 and was the first railway line to operate in Indonesia.

The presence of the railway was marked by the first trampling of the construction by the Governor General of the Dutch East Indies, Mr. L. A. J. Baron sloet Van den Belee, in 1864. The construction of the 1435 mm wide railway line was carried out by the Nederlandsch Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij (NISM), and the crossing from Semarang to Tanggung was successfully completed on August 10, 1867. The NISM also continued the construction of the railway to the outlying areas (Yogyakarta and Surakarta), which was completed in 1872.

"Semarang can be said to be a historical railway city, as the birthplace of railways in Indonesia. We should be proud to conduct this commemoration, which is expected to serve as a reminder of the history of railways and encourage us to provide the best services and innovations to the community and rail customers in the future," said Daniel.

Furthermore, Rudi said that ASN BTP Class I Semarang is now starting to be dominated by Generation Z, this is a demographic bonus for the development of railways, especially in Central Java and Yogyakarta. "Currently, 46% of our civil servants are Gen-Z, I would like to say that the future of Indonesian Railways is in your hands. Continue to be a generation that is innovative, creative, and has the spirit to keep learning and developing. Use technology to create new solutions in the development of railways," he concluded.