Also aiding the port's return to efficiency was the technical co-operation agreement it signed with the Port of Singapore Authority in November. There seems to be a policy of co-operation rather than competition between the two countries. In fact, the proportion of Indonesia's exports channelled through Singapore has increased in recent years. In an effort to take some of the pressure off Tanjong Priok, more cargo is being shifted to ports such as Surabaya, Semarang and Cirebon, and new ports are being considered. In order for this strategy to work, inland transportation facilities have to be improved.
Substantial investment is earmarked for investment in both road and rail facilities.
State rail company, Perumka, has ordered 27 express trains from General Electric, of which about half have already been delivered. Terminal facilities at Tanjong Priok are being expanded and a new railway container transport system is being put into place to link the port with Indonesia's second city, Surabaya. This followed the announcement in April of a planned 770 kilometres of highway in Java and Sumatra. Seventeen of the proposed 18 highways will be in Java and they will be constructed on a build, operate and transfer basis. Another important infrastructural development was the construction of inland container depots, several of which have recently been announced.