The museum is located at the former Bondowoso Station, opened by Staatsspoorwegen on 1 October 1897[3] and was closed in 2004, along with the Kalisat–Panarukan railway line.

[2] The museum was opened to commemorate the Gerbong Maut incident during the 1st Dutch Military Aggression in Indonesian National Revolution.

After the 16 hours journey through the hot tropical sun in the unventilated wagons without food or water, 46 prisoners died with 12 critically ill, 30 unconscious and 12 survived.

After reopening as a museum, Bondowoso Station serves train ticket bookings, however the practice has been discontinued since 1 January 2021 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

[9] Media related to Bondowoso Rail and Train Museum at Wikimedia Commons