The Kualanamu Airport Rail Link is an airport railway connecting Medan to Kualanamu International Airport.
Kualanamu International Airport (KNO) is the airport serving Medan in North Sumatra. The airport is located 23 kilometres east of central Medan and not in Medan (thus it is not Medan International Airport).
The airport opened in 2013, replacing Polonia International Airport which was located in central Medan. While the old airport was a convenient location for Medan, the location was considered dangerous for this growing city.
Fortunately the government had the foresight to build an integrated airport railway that was ready for service on the day the airport opened on 25 July 2013. The Kualanamu Airport Rail Link station is opposite the arrivals termnal, and the train goes the Medan Railway Station in the middle of the city.
It sounds almost too perfect for an airport rail link in Southeast Asia, so I was looking forward to seeing this. Here is my review of the service and what to expect.
Kualanamu Airport Rail Link map
[Map of Kualanamu Airport Rail Link.]
Kualanamu Airport Rail Link Website
Official Website: railink.co.id
Kualanamu International Airport
Kualanamu is breeze for foreign travellers as there are so few foreigners going through immigration. There are signs pointing to the station, which is opposite the arrival exit on the ground level.
There was a large sign showing the next departure, and this is where I encountered the only flaw in this otherwise great service. The airport railway runs on a limited timetable, which I guess is fair enough for an airport this size. I just so happened to arrive when a train had just departed, and the next train was not for another 1 h 20 m.
The station is in the transport hub of the airport, with a bus station next to it. I’m glad I wasn’t in a hurry, otherwise I might have had to consider taking the bus. There are cafes and restaurants nearby, and the free airport wifi is in the train area, so I stuck it out.
There is a ticket office at the station with an attendant on hand to help if you can’t work out the ticket machine.
My ticket cost 70,000 IDR ($4.60 USD).
The train
The trains are diesel multiple unit (DMU) which are trains with on-board diesel engines. Not as ideal as the electric airport trains of Bangkok or KL, but at least there is an airport train.
The train looks modern and it has comfortable seats and air-conditioning. The carriages are dedicated airport carriages with luggage racks.
There are no power outlets though, which would not have been a priority in 2013 when the train service started.
The train has nice toilet facilities as well (another reason why the train is better than the bus).
The track distance is 27 km and there is only one stop on the way at Bandar Khalipah (for connecting intercity services).
The trip takes 36 minutes, so it is not express fast but it is still a more comfortable ride than the bus.
Medan Station
Medan Station is right in the city centre, opposite the main city square and near the old town.
Behind the station also has an entry point, in front of the Centre Point Mall.
I had an early flight for my departure from Medan, so I got the first train of the day. Check the schedule on the official website.
Read more about train travel in Sumatra.
This train travel article is part of the Southeast Asia rail travel series.
So 50IDR (40 + 10) to go from town to the intermediate station and then go on to the airport instead of 70IDR for the entire journey, if I’m reading this correctly.
Similar to KL where you can get off and then get on the next train and save a few IDR. Not really worth it when you have to wait around and inconvenient to get the 2nd ticket. Don’t ask how I know for the KL airport train.
No overhead racks for smaller bags?
yes, they have copied other airport railways around the world by charging a premium for the airport section. There aren’t enough other trains though, so you could get stuck waiting. I had considered doing this in KL on my recent trip, as the Putrajaya MRT not connects to the Putrajaya Airport station. The MRT are even advertising that you can do this to save some ringgit, but it turns out that if I took the Putrajaya MRT I would still have to faff about getting another train to get to Chinatown.
Oddly there are no overhead racks, while the rest of the North Sumatra trains had overhead racks.