From my early arrival with Indonesia AirAsia QZ125 from KL, I rushed off to the Airport Railway Station at Kuala Namu Interntional Airport in the hopes of getting an earlier train which will save me an hour of waiting time. While it’s the same Railink company as Jakarta, trains in Medan are less frequent during non-peak hours as they run on a single track alignment (for now) throughout the network.
Crossing the road to the Airport Railway Station.
I had barely 10 minutes to catch the next train to Medan departing at 10.10am.
The ticket counter of Kuala Namu Airport Railway Station.
I presented my 50% discount Railink voucher to the counter, which I purchased from the KAI EXPO in Jakarta on a previous trip, thinking that I needed to redeem it with the staff since the slight hiccup in BNI City (Sudirman Baru) station in Jakarta.
The staff then brought me over to one of the new machines at the side, the same as the SHIA Railink, to purchase my ticket using the code printed on the voucher. This time round, the process went through smoothly and I was also allowed to keep my voucher as a souvenir.
The new ticketing machines at Kuala Namu Airport Railway Station, the same machines used on the SHIA Railink.
My purchased ticket for the journey from Kuala Namu to Medan. Despite buying my voucher at a 50% discount, making this ticket cost just Rp.50,000, the ticket still shows the full ticket price of Rp.100,000.
Heading to the ticket gates quickly to board my departing train.
Scanning my ticket at the gate.
Quickly boarding my train which is due for departure.
The interior of the Kuala Namu Railink.
Departing from Kuala Namu Airport Railway Station.
No tolls to be paid by the Kuala Namu Railink which zooms past the entrance and exit tolls to the airport.
Passing under Jl. Bandara Kuala Namu.
Approaching the junction to the mainline.
Passing by the old Araskabu Railway Station right at the junction.
Making a brief non-revenue stop at Araskabu Railway Station for the Kuala Namu-bound Railink to cross.
About 5 minutes later, the Kuala Namu-bound Railink passed by. Trains bound for Kuala Namu have absolute priority on the railway line.
Heading on west towards Medan.
Taking the scenic Serdang curve.
A toilet is available on the Kuala Namu Railink.
Inside the toilet, it is further divided into another section for the actual toilet.
The sink area is in the front section of the toilet.
Passing by Batang Kuis Railway Station.
Passing by Bandar Khalipah Railway Station.
Crossing with the Sri Bilah Premium U46 at the old Bandar Khalipah Railway Station.
Plying beside the future elevated railway to Medan.
Approaching Medan.
About 5 minutes before arrival, the Railink train plays an announcement and shows this screen.
Entering the Medan Railway Station compound.
Turning right to the Railink platforms of Medan City Railway Station.
Passing slowly and sharply under the elevated railway construction.
The Railink train opened its doors to Medan City Railway Station sharp on time at 10.57am.
The apology board at the platform for the ongoing elevated railway construction.
Heading up to exit the station.
Two exits are available from here, right towards Centre Point Mall and left towards Medan Railway Station.
I took the exit to the right, which is the original arrival hall for Railink passengers.
As the construction for the elevated railway link was still in progress, the escalators and stairs were not available for use. As such, only 1 lift was available to send all passengers down to the exit.
The upcoming elevated Medan City Railway Station in progress.
Exiting from the Medan City Railway Station.
Overall, the Kualanamu Airport Railink Services is an affordable and efficient way to get from Kuala Namu International Airport to Medan city with a set timetable not affected by the Medan traffic jams especially within the city area.
However, I still wished that the Kuala Namu Railink would keep to the original ticketing system of accepting cash rather than the cashless-only payment modes just like Jakarta.
Well, at least the 10-minute cut-off time for ticketing like the Jakarta SHIA Railink is not adopted here, which allows me an extremely quick connection to the city after getting off my flight.
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