PRIMAGUNG DARY RILIANANDA

This visual journey was inspired by a bedtime story from my late grandfather about Kedungjati, a train station located southwest of Purwodadi, Central Java. His tales painted vivid imagery of bustling platforms, teeming with passengers, and a ceaseless parade of trains. Intrigued by his stories, I embarked on a visit there, only to find the quiet platform, neglected piles of rusty rails and sleepers, corners of the waiting room ruined by cobwebs, and decaying chairs told a story of bygone glory.

Kedungjati, inaugurated in 1868, was once a pivotal hub in the early days of Indonesian Railways. It was a part of NISM’s ambitious plan to connect Semarang with Vorstenlanden (now Surakarta), enabling passenger mobility and agricultural product transportation. However, the route deviated from the bustling Purwodadi, venturing further southeast through quieter suburban areas, including Tulisharjo, Kedungjati, Juwangi, Gundih, Gemolong, and ending in Solo Balapan.

This route diversion served not only the purpose of passenger transport but also military logistics. Kedungjati was strategically selected as the crossover point for the route to the Royal Dutch East Indies Army (KNIL) base in Ambarawa. From there, the line continued to Secang, branching toward Parakan (Temanggung) and Yogyakarta. Kedungjati evolved into a bustling junction, connecting trains from Yogyakarta, Surakarta, Magelang, Temanggung, and Semarang.

However, the station’s fate took a dramatic turn in 1975, when the eruption of Merapi led to a destructive cold lava flood that washed away the pillars of the Krasak railway bridge in Magelang. The train route from Kedungjati to Magelang and Yogyakarta was truncated, reaching only Ambarawa before fully decommissioned a year later. Kedungjati faded into a ghostly silence, as passenger crowds dwindled. Although some trains still traverse its tracks, the station no longer serves as a bustling hub for travelers.

My visual journey invites viewers to reflect on this forgotten Kedungjati’s grandeur and its subsequent decline. The juxtaposition of the architectural remnants and its quiet, melancholic atmosphere tells a story of history, change, and the passage of time.