Mudik in Full Flight

The Lebaran mudik rush peaked on Saturday as airports, train stations, ports and toll roads all around the country recorded massive jumps in traffic two days before Idul Fitri on June 5.

According the Jakarta Police's Traffic Directorate, more than 191,000 Jakarta residents left the capital by public transport on Saturday. More than 20,000 passed through the turnstiles at Gambir train station, and nearly 8,000 travelers were recorded at Merak Port in Banten, heading for Sumatra.

Congestions were reported at the Cinunuk and Cikampek Utama Toll Gate in West Java due to the high number of travelers going to Sumedang, Cirebon, Garut and Tasikmalaya.

The northern coast highway (Pantura) was also packed with travelers heading to Central and East Java.

To ease the burden on public transport, the Indonesian Navy offers mudik travelers from Balikpapan in East Kalimantan a free trip on the KRI Makassar-590 to Tanjung Perak Port in Surabaya.

The Indonesian Air Force also used its CN295 and Hercules military planes to transport soldiers and their families to their hometowns.