Railway Day is observed in Indonesia every September 28, commemorating the establishment of the Railway Bureau of the Republic of Indonesia on this date in 1945. This event marked the takeover of the railway system in Java from Japanese control by Indonesian nationalists following World War II. The history of rail transport in Indonesia dates back to the colonial era, with the first railway line constructed in Central Java in 1864. By the 1920s, most cities in Java were connected by rail, although the Great Depression hindered further expansion. After Indonesia's independence was internationally recognized in 1949, the Bureau took over railways previously controlled by the Dutch, eventually becoming the Indonesian Railways Company (PT Kereta Api Indonesia). Today, PT KAI operates as the sole public railways operator in Indonesia, managing local, regional, and intercity train services.