Passengers on the Argo Bromo Anggrek train had better watch their heads—thanks to low-flying planes. But this not an accident report: it's all about business. The executive train on the main Jakarta-Surabaya route is facing stiff competition from the aviation industry.

This appears, on the surface, an uneven match: a one-way ticket on the Argo Bromo Anggrek is now selling for Rp285,000. A new air carrier, Indonesian Airlines, last week