20th century (
Dutch East Indies) The region of Manggarai has already been known since the
17th century. It is the residence and market for slaves from
Manggarai,
Flores which later developed into Gementee Meester Cornelis. Although the Batavia—Buitenzorg line was built by the Nederlands-Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij (NIS) in 1873, Manggarai Station was built in 1914 and completed on 1 May 1918. The construction was not fully finished when it was first opened —
World War I in
Europe delayed the delivery of certain parts of its roof. Its tracks branched to Meester Cornelis (
Jatinegara),
Tanah Abang, and continued to
Bandung. The construction was supervised by Van Grendt, who also designed the railway education school building and official residences for employees around the station area. The first class waiting room has not changed since the 1910s. The station replaced the second
Meester Cornelis Station, which was located a few hundred meters to the
south. The station witnessed an episode of
Indonesian National Revolution, when on 3 January 1946 the extraordinary train ( or KLB) transported the entourage of
President Sukarno to
Yogyakarta. Secret preparations were made, including placing of rows of freight carriages on track 1. At around seven o'clock in the evening, the KLB passed very slowly from the direction of
Pegangsaan through track 4. Despite that,
Argo Parahyangan remained stopping at Manggarai, according the 2014 Railway Travel Chart (
Grafik Perjalanan Kereta Api, GAPEKA). On 12 August 2016,
PT KAI Commuter Jabodetabek, together with
fans of
KRL Commuterline discussed the Manggarai Central Station development plan. To answer the complaints of the passenger queue, which continues to increase every year, the completion of the Cikarang–Manggarai
double-double track was accelerated. In addition, this station will be made multi-storey, which can accommodate inter-city trains and commuter trains with their respective tracks and platforms. It is expected to become the central station for the KRL Commuterline and also the terminus for the
Soekarno–Hatta Airport Rail Link. Later, the Directorate General of Railways ( or DJKA) of the
Ministry of Transportation began expanding the station in 2017 by adding a new three-storey building with a modern minimalist futuristic architecture. The old building, a legacy of
Staatsspoorwegen, is maintained because of its status as a
cultural heritage. By the completion of the central station development, it is planned that all long and medium-distance inter-city passenger trains that terminate at Gambir will be moved to Manggarai. To accommodate Soekano–Hatta Airport Rail Link extension to Manggarai (previously it was extended to for several months after opening), the west entrance building was constructed. Once completed, Manggarai Station officially served the airport rail link passengers on 5 October 2019. The first phase of the Manggarai Central Station development was inaugurated by the
President of Indonesia,
Joko Widodo, on 26 December 2022. The second phase of the Manggarai Central Station development commenced construction in 2023. This aims to build platforms on the second floor above the Cikarang line platforms. These platforms will be used for long distance trains and when operational will replace Gambir Station. == Building and layout ==