History of rail transport in Indonesia

Most railway lines in Indonesia were constructed during the Dutch colonial rule. After independence in 1945, many lines were abandoned. The current national rail operator, PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero), was founded on 28 September 1945.
Indonesia (Dutch East Indies) was the second country in Asia to establish a rail transport, after India; China and Japan were next to follow. On 7 June 1864, Governor General Baron Sloet van den Beele initiated the first railway line in Indonesia on Kemijen village, Semarang, Central Java. It began operations on 10 August 1867 in Central Java and connected the first built Semarang station to Tanggung for 25 kilometers. By 21 May 1873, the line had connected to Solo, both in Central Java and was later extended to Yogyakarta. This line was operated by a private company, Nederlandsch-Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij (NIS or NISM) and used the 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge gauge. Later construction by both private and state railway companies used the 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge.
The liberal Dutch government of the era was then reluctant to build its own railway, preferring to give a free rein to private enterprise. But private railways could not provide the expected return of investment (even NIS required some financial assistance from the government), and the Dutch Ministry of Colonies finally approved a state railway system, the Staatsspoorwegen (SS), extending from Buitenzorg (now Bogor) in the west, to Surabaya in the east. Construction began from both ends, the first line (from Surabaya) being opened on 16 May 1878, and both cities were connected by 1894.
By the 1920s the system in Java had reached its greatest extent, with most towns and cities connected by rail, with branches and tramways connecting sugar plantations to factories.
The Great Depression of the 1930s put laid to plans of constructing railway lines in Borneo, Celebes, connecting the lines in Sumatra and electrification of the lines in Java.
After the Dutch state started railway construction, private enterprises did not completely get out of the picture, and at least 15 light railway companies operated in Java. These companies operated as "steam tram companies", but despite the name, were better described as regional secondary lines.
As befits a colonial enterprise, most railway lines in Indonesia had a dual purpose: economic and strategic. In fact, a condition for the financial assistance for the NIS was that the company build a railway line to Ambarawa, which connected to the one of an important military base named Fort Willem I for the Dutch king. The first state railway line was built through the mountains on the southern part of Java, instead of the flat regions on the north, for a similar strategic reason. The state railway in Java connected Anyer on the western coast of the island, to Banyuwangi on the eastern coast.
In Sumatra, railways were first used for military purposes, with a railway line connecting Banda Aceh and its port of Uleelhee in 1876. This railway, the Atjeh Staats Spoorwegen (ASS), first built to a 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge which was later regauged to 750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in) and extended south. This line was only transferred to the Ministry of Colonies from the Ministry of War on 1 January 1916, following the relative pacification of Aceh.
The Western Sumatra's state railway in the Minangkabau area, the Staatsspoorwegen ter Sumatra's Westkust (SSS) transported coal from inland mines to the port at Padang and was built between 1891 and 1894
The Southern Sumatra's state railway, the Staatsspoorwegen op Zuid-Sumatra (ZSS), was completed in the 1930s. It served a fertile plantation area and an important coal mine.
Another important private railway line was the Deli Spoorweg Maatschappij (DSM). This line served regions producing rubber and tobacco in Deli.
Between July 1922 and 1930, a 47 kilometres (29 mi)-long railway line operated in South Sulawesi. This line was to be extended to North Sulawesi, as part of a massive project of railway construction in Borneo and Sulawesi, connection of separate railway systems in Sumatra and electrification of the main lines in Java. The Great Depression of 1929 put paid to these plans.
During the Japanese occupation between 1942 and 1945, the different railway lines in Java were managed as one entity. The Sumatra systems, being under the administration of a different branch of the Japanese armed forces, remained separate.
The occupiers also converted the (1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge lines in Java into 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in), thereby resolving the dual gauge issue. This was not an actual "problem" as there was not much transfer of materials between the systems, and much of the 1,435 mm system had been fitted with a third rail by 1940, creating a mixed-gauge railway. Many locomotives were seized and transported to Malaya, Burma and elsewhere. The railway network was reduced from 6,811 km (4,232 mi) in 1939 to 5,910 km (3,670 mi) in 1950 to provide material for railway construction in Burma.
During the war for independence between 1945 and 1949, freedom fighters took over the railways, creating the first direct predecessor to today's PT Kereta Api, the Djawatan Kereta Api Repoeblik Indonesia (Railway Bureau of the Republic of Indonesia), on 28 September 1945. This date, not the 1867 one, is regarded as the birth date of Indonesian railways and commemorated as Railway Day every year, on political grounds.
On the other hand, the Dutch by Netherlands Indies Civil Administration (NICA) formed their own combined railway system to manage the railway lines located on their occupied territory, the Staatsspoorwegen/Verenigd Spoorwegbedrijf (SS/VS or Combined Railways). This company consisted of a combined state-owned and many private-owned railway companies, except Deli Spoorweg Maatschappij (Deli Railway). By the time of Dutch recognition of Indonesian independence, the SS/VS had most railway lines under their management, though not all were in operation.
With Indonesia's full independence in 1949, the separate systems (except the Deli Railway) were combined into the Djawatan Kereta Api. Non-state railway systems in Java retained their paper existence until 1958, when all railway lines in Indonesia were nationalized, including the Deli Railway, thereby creating the Perusahaan Negara Kereta Api (PNKA: State Railway Corporation) in 1963. On 15 September 1971 the name of PNKA was changed to Perusahaan Jawatan Kereta Api (PJKA, the Indonesian Railway Systems). Later then, on 2 January 1991, PJKA was changed its name and status as Perusahaan Umum Kereta Api (Perumka, the Indonesian Railways Public Company), and since 1 June 1999, this company was changed to a limited company, PT Kereta Api (Persero) (PT KA). In May 2010, the name of "PT KA" was changed to PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) (PT KAI, The Indonesian Railways Company) till present.
The headquarters of the state railway system, since Dutch colonial days, had been located in Bandung, West Java. Private railway companies were headquartered elsewhere, in Semarang, Tegal, Surabaya and Medan.
Construction of new railway lines has been scarce. In 1997, a line was inaugurated from Citayam to Nambo in West Java. At the beginning, this line was planned to be incorporated into a larger circular line network, ranging from Cikarang to Parung Panjang. This plan had to be postponed due to the 1997 economic crisis. The first airport rail link in Indonesia, the Kualanamu Airport Rail Link, connects Medan with Kualanamu International Airport, which was inaugurated on 4 September 2013. The Soekarno–Hatta Airport Rail Link was opened between Soekarno–Hatta International Airport and BNI City on 26 December 2017. Minangkabau Ekspres, connecting Minangkabau International Airport and Padang, was inaugurated on 21 May 2018. The Adisumarmo Airport Rail Link, connecting Adisoemarmo International Airport station and Solo Balapan, opened on 29 December 2019. Yogyakarta International Airport Rail Link, connecting Yogyakarta International Airport with Yogyakarta was completed in September 2021. The Trans-Sulawesi Railway are built with 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge which is wider than the 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) cape gauge used in Java and Sumatra to accommodate more weight and speed, the first phase includes 146 kilometers route from Makassar to Parepare, which was completed in November 2022 and has been operating ever since, the total plan for the railway would be around 2,000 kilometres spanning from Makassar to Manado, most of other sections are still under construction.
Most new construction is concentrated on double- and quad-tracking of existing railway lines. In 2011, double-tracking of the line from Semarang to Surabaya Pasar Turi was begun. The project was finished with the double-tracking of the final segment between Bojonegoro and Surabaya Pasar Turi on 8 May 2014. The line between Manggarai and Cikarang on Rajawali-Cikampek line is being quadrupled, with the first section between Jatinegara and Cakung opened on 14 April 2019.
Trams formerly existed in Jakarta, Surabaya, Malang, and Semarang before their service was closed after independence. In Jakarta the tram lines use track gauge 1,188 mm (3 ft 10+25⁄32 in) operated by Bataviasche Verkeers Maatschappij and Pengangkutan Penumpang Djakarta, while in other areas track gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) were used. In Greater Jakarta, KRL Commuterline and Jabodebek LRT is operational urban rail network, serving commuter routes which comprises cities of DKI Jakarta, Depok, Bogor, Bekasi, Tangerang, and South Tangerang as well as regencies of Bogor, Bekasi, and Lebak. The other operational urban rail networks are Jakarta provincially-owned Jakarta MRT, Jakarta LRT, and Soekarno-Hatta Airport Rail Link to support the public transport network in the area.
Indonesia operates a high-speed rail line connecting its two largest cities, the Jakarta–Bandung high-speed rail line, which will allow trains to reach up to 420 km/h, with operational speed of 350 km/h. Commenced operations on 2 October 2023, this High Speed Rail line is the first in Southeast Asia
The development of the railway network from 1875 to 1925 in 4 stages:
Phase I development took place in 1876–1888. The beginning of the construction of the railway was in 1876, in the form of the first network in the Dutch East Indies, between Tanggung and Gudang in Semarang in 1876, along 26 km. After that, the Semarang – Gudang line began to be built. In 1880, the Batavia (Jakarta) – Buitenzorg (Bogor) line was built along 59 km, then continued to Cicalengka via Cicurug – Sukabumi – Cibeber – Cianjur – Bandung. In 1877 the Kediri - Blitar line was built, and combined with the Surabaya - Cilacap line via Kertosono – Madiun – Solo, and also the Jogya – Magelang line.
Until 1888 the railway network built was:
Until 1899, the railway network built was:
Until 1913 the rail network built was:
Until 1925 the rail network built was:
For Kalimantan and Sulawesi, it was not implemented because construction was only going to start in 1941 and World War II broke out.
Here is a list of major stations:
Bogor Station (Buitenzorg) was built in 1880 when making the Buitenzorg - Soekaboemi - Tjiandjoer - Tjitjalengka line. However, the electric train network only existed in Batavia (Jakarta) to Buitenzorg (Bogor) which was built in 1918, then in 1925 the electric network was also made to Meester Cornelis (Jatinegara) to Tandjoeng Priok.
In this era, PJKA continues to experience decline due to the increasing number of private car users, public transportation and the emergence of Ojek. Therefore, the government issued an annual subsidy. This subsidy is formatted for employee expenses and reducing PJKA's loss burden. and the gradual closure of all of the total branch lines at that time.
The Bintaro Tragedy on 19 October 1987 was a tragic event that worsened the bad image of PJKA as the only railway operator in Indonesia. In this tragedy, hundreds of people died while the rest were injured. Since that tragedy, the safety and comfort of trains have been questioned.
On 1 August 1990, PJKA changed to Perusahaan Umum Kereta Api (Perumka). During this period, losses such as those experienced by PJKA several years ago could be reduced. All employees still have the status of civil servants who are regulated separately and are allowed to seek profit.
The Perumka era is often called the "red and blue era" because all the paint on commercially operated locomotives was changed to red and blue with a white Perumka logo on the front and back, and under the driver's cabin glass right above the license plate. In addition, the livery paint of all train classes was also changed, namely for executives it was painted light blue-dark blue, business was painted dark green-dark blue, economy was painted dark red-dark blue, and the power train and baggage train were painted plain dark blue. All trains have white lines with a red Perumka logo.
In 1998, Perumka officially changed to PT Kereta Api (Persero (PT KA), although the notaryation of its establishment was carried out the following year. In the early 1990s and 2000s, PT KA maintained the red-blue paint on its locomotives, except for CC 203.
In 1995, the Argo executive train was born, made by PT Inka Madiun, which was named Argo Bromo and Argo Gede. All of the latest Argo executive trains were painted white-gray with dark blue stripes with the PT KAI logo on the left and the Ministry of Transportation on the right. In addition, the CC 203 locomotive was also imported directly from its factory, GE Transportation. This locomotive has an aerodynamic design.
As a result of the presence of this Argo train, there was a change in the color scheme, with the executive and business class trains painted with the same pattern as the Argo class but with a cream-white color. In 1997 the Argo Bromo Anggrek train appeared which was painted pink-white. Meanwhile, the economy trains were actually painted white-turquoise green, but in the end only the Rheostatic KRL economy class and some KRDs were painted with this color scheme, while other economy trains were still comfortable with the red-blue color scheme from before 1995. The previously mentioned livery was also added with two stripes, one of which was light blue and the other was dark blue.
In 2006 and above, CC 201 and most other locomotives then changed their paint like CC 203, namely white with light blue-dark blue stripes. Meanwhile, there were changes to the entire series of passenger trains ranging from executive, business, and economy, to what can be seen today. For heritage locomotives using PJKA's livery.
During this period, PT KA introduced the PSO (public service obligation) system, especially for economy trains. This PSO replaced the previously implemented subsidy system. In 2007, Law No. 23 of 2007 was passed, which eliminated the monopoly carried out by PT KA.
In this era, the number of diesel hydraulic locomotives began to decrease along with PT KA's policy at that time to better maintain existing diesel electric locomotives and import, develop a number of new generation diesel electric and hydraulic locomotives that already use sophisticated technology in their maintenance.
The era of digitalization of Indonesian railways has emerged since the 1980s. Digitalization began when the BB204 locomotive was launched in the 1980s in West Sumatra. Furthermore, CC 204 was modified from CC201 by adding a BrightStar Sirius computer so that it could mitigate damage 45 minutes before the damage occurred. In addition, in 2006 to 2011, a locomotive was made based on the CC203 design by adding a BrightStar Sirius computer at PT Inka so that the CC204 batch II was created.
In the 2010s decade, there have been many transformations at PT KA, especially when led by Ignasius Jonan. In 2010 the name of PT KA changed to PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) (PT KAI). Complaints from the public about the lack of AC in economy class trains, so in 2010 non-PSO AC economy class trains appeared with the presence of Bogowonto train as its pioneer.
On 28 September 2011, the PT KAI logo changed. Another transformation lies in the ticketing system. Tickets that were originally only available at the departure station, can now be ordered at minimarkets and ticket agents. Even more amazingly, a boarding pass system has emerged that requires passengers to bring proof of identity. In addition, station management is now very good. All medium and long-distance trains have been equipped with AC. Locomotive digitalization in Indonesia has continued to advance since CC205 and CC206 were imported to strengthen PT KAI's current fleet and also the development of the CC300 locomotive as part of this transformation and digitalization
In commemorating its 75th anniversary on 28 September 2020, PT KAI inaugurated a new logo in the form of three letters "K", "A", and "I" made in italics (depicting the company's progressive, open, and trusted character). The accent of the train track shape on the letter "A" symbolizes "hope to advance the company as the best and synergistic transportation ecosystem" and the use of two colors that have different meanings from the previous logo, namely the combination of these two colors reflects "a harmonious relationship between KAI and all stakeholders in the railway sector", with the blue color (on the letters "K" and "I") symbolizing "stability, professionalism, trustworthiness, and confidence of the company", and the orange color (on the letter "A") symbolizing "enthusiasm, creativity, and determination of the company".
As one of the mass transportation models used by millions of people, the development of railways in Indonesia is inseparable from the spotlight and weaknesses. Factors that are often of concern today are the accident rate is still relatively high both derailed carriages, collisions between trains, collisions between trains and other vehicles, floods/landslides and other problems often faced by train users. The main cause of this problem can be seen in the uneven rail facilities and maintenance, resulting in various problems. In 2009, it was recorded that 255 people were victims of train accidents, either injured or killed. Around 60% of train accidents occur at railroad crossings, which generally do not have gates or even guarded. Of the 2,923 railway crossing gates spread across the island of Java, it was recorded that around 1,192 were not guarded by officers. This means that 40% of crossings escape the supervision of PT KAI which is fully responsible for ensuring traffic safety and security as stated in Law Number 23 of 2007, articles 31, 32, 33, 34 and 124 which have been ratified by the legislature.
Since 2015, the government has planned to improve railway infrastructure in Indonesia by adding new lines, reactivating inactive lines and also making double tracks, not only in the Java corridor, but also in other corridors such as Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua.
The following is the development of railway networks outside Java from the 2015–2019 Railway Strategic Program:
Construction of Inter-City Railways/Trans Sumatra:
Reactivation of Railway Lines:
Upgrading of Urban Railway Lines/Double Track/Electrification:
Airport Access Railway Construction:
Construction of Port Access Railway:
Construction of Special/Coal/Port Access Railway (PPP Scheme):
Construction of Intercity/Trans Kalimantan Railway:
Construction of Airport Access Railway:
Construction of Inter-City Railway/Trans Sulawesi:
Urban Railway Development:
Airport/Port Access Railway Development:
The following is a list of railway lines that are still active in Indonesia. This line does not include all railway lines in Indonesia; for inactive railway lines in Indonesia please see inactive railway lines in Indonesia. The list of active railway lines below is arranged according to the railway line number.
The Makassar–Parepare railway line is a railway line approximately 145 kilometers long that connects Makassar City and Parepare City in South Sulawesi. This line is the first stage of the construction of the Trans-Sulawesi railway line. The line from Mandai Station to Garongkong Station, as well as the branch from Labakkang Station to Mangilu Station are lines that have been built and are already in operation. The ground breaking of Makassar–Parepare route was conducted on 18 August 2014 in, Siawung Village, Barru District, Barru Regency. On early November 2022, 66 kilometres (41 mi) of railway from Barru to Pangkep was inaugurated and operational. As of 2022, it is the only operational part of the railway. The provision of railway infrastructure and facilities for the Makassar-Parepare line is carried out by different operators. The provision of railway infrastructure, which includes the construction, operation, and maintenance of the railway line, is carried out by PT Celebes Railway Indonesia. Meanwhile, the provision of railway facilities is carried out by the South Sulawesi Railway Consortium, which is a joint venture between PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) and PT Sulsel Citra Indonesia (Perseroda).
Defunct railway in Indonesia are railway lines that once existed and were used as passenger transportation and/or freight transportation in Indonesia, but are now no longer functioning, and in some places, there are even no traces of them anymore.
According to data from the Ministry of Transportation of the Republic of Indonesia as of 2017, there are 2,723 kilometers of inactive railway lines in Indonesia out of a total of 8,157 kilometers that were in operation as of 1939. So that within a period of 78 years (1939-2017), there is a tendency for a decrease in the infrastructure of the operated railway lines.
The tabulation of railroad lines is based on their crossing numbers in the Buku Jarak untuk Angkutan Barang Jawa dan Madura (Distance Book for Goods Transportation in Java and Madura) published by PJKA in 1982, unless otherwise stated.
There are railroad lines that were successfully reactivated by Djawatan Kereta Api Republik Indonesia (DKARI) in the early days of independence. This reactivated line is considered important and has high economic potential so it needs to be reactivated. In addition, there are railroad lines that are considered important for military movements. However, among the lines that DKARI successfully reactivated, many of them were deactivated for the second time in the 1970s to 1990s in the PJKA era.