Sancaka Train
The Sancaka train is a rail-based mass transportation service of the Indonesian Railways Company which offers an Executive and Economy class with AC to travel the route of Surabaya-Yogyakarta—round trip. This mixed class express train is connecting the two cities through the Surabaya Gubeng Station and Yogyakarta Tugu Station.
On most days, the train will cover the intercity distance of 311 kilometers. With an average train speed of 50-120 kilometers per hour, the Sancaka train travels an average trip length of 5 to 5.5 hours to reach the final station. Passengers from the city of Yogyakarta who want to visit the city of Surabaya, and vice versa, can choose between the two available departure times every day. For passengers traveling from Yogyakarta, Sancaka train departure schedule is available in the morning at 07:30 and afternoon at 17:25. As for passengers leaving from Surabaya, Sancaka train schedule is available in the morning at 06:45 and 16:40 o'clock in the afternoon. Throughout the trip, the train will stop at some stopover stations, namely Surabaya Gubeng, Mojokerto, Jombang, Nganjuk, Madiun, Solo Balapan, and Yogyakarta Station.
Sancaka train is under the management of Regional Operations Regional Operations VI Yogyakarta and Surabaya VIII. Serving both the executive and economy class, Sancaka train provides facilities following the passenger's class passengers. The executive class facilities have very comfortable seating with an adjustable backrest and front side position, complete with footrest, a folding table, electrical outlets, reading lights, even blanket, and pillow, while seating in economy class is permanent. Facilities available in the entire class of Sancaka train are the air conditioning, LCD TV, toilet, cabin baggage, power outlet, a small table on the side of the window, and paid meal service.
The ticket price of Sancaka train is varied, depending on what class you are in. For the executive class passengers, the price ranges from the cheapest of Rp165.000 to the most expensive of Rp.210.000. Meanwhile, the AC Economy class passengers could buy the ticket that is ranging from Rp105.000 to Rp155.000 per passenger. The train’s special shorter route is available, like Station Yogyakarta-Solo Balapan Station or Surabaya Gubeng Station-Mojokerto station. The ticket prices range from Rp80,000-Rp120,000 for the economy class and Rp135.000-Rp160,000 for the executive class.
Interesting Info about Sancaka Train
The Origin of Name
Sancaka is the name of a dragon that is believed by society as a protector and capable of surviving in every situation. The naming of the snake figure encourages Sancaka train to become the best mass transportation that can protect its passengers and survive in every situation.
The History of The Train
At its first operation on May 27, 1997, Sancaka offered travel services from Surabaya to Yogyakarta with the Executive-Business class passengers. After 19 years, the service eventually turned into an executive-economy AC Plus class, precisely from October 16, 2016. The alteration from business class into Economy AC Plus is one of the major transformations of the Indonesian Railways Company to provide better services for the passengers. The economy AC Plus class becomes a friendly service with an affordable ticket price but has comfortable facilities.
The Train Set
Sancaka has two types of sets; one owned by Dipo Lokomotif Sidotopo and one owned by Dipo Lokomotif Yogyakarta. Both are pulling the train set that consists of one power car, five executive wagons, three economies AC Plus wagons, and one baggage car. As for the train set from Dipo Lokomotif Sidotopo, there is an additional one dining car (MP1). The train set from Dipo Lokomotive Yogyakarta uses one dining plus power car (MP1/MP2). Sancaka uses locomotive CC201, CC203, CC204, and CC206 series to pull its sets.