Rail transport in Indonesia

The majority of Indonesia's railways are on Java, used for both passenger and freight transport. There are three noncontinuous railway networks in Sumatra (Aceh and North Sumatra; West Sumatra; South Sumatra and Lampung) while two new networks are being developed in Kalimantan and Sulawesi. Indonesia has finalized its plan for a national railway network recently. According to the plan, 3,200 km of train tracks will crisscross the islands of Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi. It has been touted as the most extensive railway project in Indonesia since its independence from the Dutch in 1945. Indonesia targets to extend the national railway network to 10,524 kilometres by 2030. As of September 2022, the network spans 7,032 km.
Urban railway exist in form of commuter rail in all provinces and metropolitan areas of Java – notably in Jakarta – as well as Medan, North Sumatra. New mass rapid transit and light rail transit system are currently being introduced in Jakarta and Palembang, South Sumatra.
Despite Indonesia having a left-hand running for roads, most of the railway lines use right-hand running due to Dutch legacy.
Indonesia's rail gauge is 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in), although 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in), 750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in), and 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) lines previously existed. Newer constructions in Sumatra, including Aceh, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and Papua, along with the Jabodebek LRT, Jakarta LRT, and Jakarta-Bandung HSR, are using the 1,435 mm gauge. Most of the Jakarta metropolitan area is electrified at 1500 V DC overhead.
Indonesia's railways are primarily operated by the state-owned Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI), its commuter subsidiary KAI Commuter, and the airport rail link subsidiary KAI Bandara. The majority of the railway infrastructure is owned by the Directorate General of Railways of the Ministry of Transportation, and railway companies pay a "track access charge" fee for using the railways.
Various narrow gauge industrial tramways operate in Java and Sumatra, serving the sugarcane and oil palm industries.
The first railway line in Indonesia opened in 1867 and was initially laid to standard gauge size. The railways were gradually expanded by both the state and private companies.
The idea of building a railway in Indonesia has emerged since the 1840s. The construction of the railway line in Indonesia was initially a request from King Willem I. The purpose of its construction was for military purposes in the city of Semarang and the transportation of agricultural products to the Semarang warehouse. This idea was only realized with the establishment of a railway company called Nederlandsch-Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij (NIS), marked by its ratification as a legal entity on August 27, 1863. The purpose of building railways in the Dutch East Indies (the name of Indonesia at that time) was to facilitate the transportation of agricultural products. The first railway in the Dutch East Indies began with the laying of the first stone for the construction of a railway line on the first segment of the Samarang-Vorstenlanden (Yogyakarta) railway line, on June 17, 1864 in Kemijen, East Semarang, Semarang, which became the location of Samarang Station (km 0). The construction was marked by a ceremony led by the Governor General of the Dutch East Indies, Mr. L.A.J.W. Sloet van de Beele. On August 10, 1867, the line was completed.
Furthermore, the remaining initial concessions of this railway line were also worked on, namely Tanggung–Gundih–Solo–Yogya NIS, as well as creating a branch line from Kedungjati–Ambarawa Station. Samarang–Vorstenlanden was officially opened on June 10, 1872, and the entire first line (Samarang–Vorstenlanden and Kedungjati–Willem I) was completed on May 21, 1873.
Interest in operating rail modes became increasingly prominent with the operation of horse trams operated by Bataviasche Tramweg Maatschappij, operating in 1869 which became the forerunner of Batavia tram. Other horse trams also operated on the Purwosari–Boyolali, operated by Solosche Tramweg Maatschappij, operating 1892.
The concession for the Batavia–Buitenzorg line was published in the Gouvernement Besluit 27 March 1864 No. 1. Josef Osdar from the daily Kompas said that the permit was implemented in 1869 or five years after the permit was granted, and said, "NIS(M) will build a 1435 millimeter (mm) gauge railway while the Dutch colonial government wants 1067 mm." The reason was that NIS intended to monopolize plantation transportation, and wanted to merge the line with the Samarang–Vorstenlanden line. On January 31, 1873, the line began operating using a 1,067mm gauge.
This is different from Staatsspoorwegen (SS), which was established by the Colonial Government in 1875 to overcome the problems faced by NIS related to financial problems. In the midst of NIS's financial problems, there was private interest in implementing the railway line concession. However, they chose the tram type because it was considered capable of reducing construction costs. SS was formed to implement the Java railway line concession, with its first lines being Surabaya–Pasuruan and Bangil–Malang. This company wanted the trains on the state-owned lines to use 1,067 mm. The SS also wanted the Batavia–Buitenzorg plan to be continued with the SS, Bogor–Bandung–Banjar–Yogyakarta line, then reaching East Java.
In Sumatra, the railway lines were separate, with the Deli Spoorweg Maatschappij operating in North Sumatra, the Atjeh Tram operating in Aceh, the Staatsspoorwegen ter Sumatra's Westkust operating in West Sumatra, and the Zuid-Sumatra Staatsspoorwegen operating in southern Sumatra. The Staatstramwegen op Celebes division operated to serve the South Sulawesi railway. One embryo of a new Staatsspoorwegen division, namely Staatstramwegen in Tapanoeli, failed to be implemented. Until the end of the 1920s, a feasibility study on the Trans-Kalimantan, North Sulawesi, Lombok, Bali railways was also being carried out.
During the heyday of rail transportation in Indonesia, it was recorded that as of December 31, 1928, the total kilometers of railways and trams of the Dutch East Indies (Sumatra, Java, and Sulawesi) were 7,293 km, where for Java and Madura the islands were 5,473 km with details: 2,802 km rail size 1,067 mm; 205 km size 1,435 mm; 120 km size 600 mm; and 2,258 km of 1,067 mm tram tracks (except for Jakarta city trams), while the Forestry and plantation (sugar industry) Service has also built approximately 7,000 km of plantation (lorry) rail lines, of which 6,500 km were contributed by the sugar industry's plantation lines. However, it is unfortunate that this total kilometer will decrease along with the closure or deactivation of rail lines after the Great Depression and the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies.
The Japanese occupation and the Indonesian War of Independence left Indonesia's railways in a poor condition. A batch of 100 steam locomotives were ordered in 1950, and dieselisation started in 1953. By the 1980s most mainline services had been dieselised. Electric multiple units were obtained from Japan beginning in the 1970s, replacing 60-year-old electric locomotives.
Since the independence era, all mainline railways in Indonesia have been managed by the state. The owners of the private railway were compensated first, but the system was fully nationalised in 1971.
Construction of new railway lines has been scarce, and most new construction is concentrated on double- and quad-tracking of existing railway lines. Most of the former tramway lines have been closed, reducing the mileage from about 7000 km to only 3000 km.
The sole regulator of Indonesian rail transport system is the Directorate General of Railways of the Ministry of Transportation. Established on 5 August 2005 during the administration of the President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the Minister of Transportation Hatta Rajasa, the directorate general was designed to regulate rail transport policies in Indonesia. The first Director-General was Soemino Eko Saputro, who had served as CEO of Perumka, the predecessor of Kereta Api Indonesia. When he was served as the Director-General, Saputro was involved in a corruption case concerning procurement of EMUs from Japan, which caused the state to lose IDR 20 billion.
The first railway operator in the Dutch East Indies was started by the private sector under the name Nederlandsch-Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij in 1863, followed by Bataviasche Tramweg Maatschappij in 1869. The third railway operator was the government-owned Staatsspoorwegen, formed in 1875. After that, many private operators invested capital.
After the Dutch surrendered to Japan, all Dutch railway operators on Java were accommodated in a Japanese-formed organization called Rikuyu Sokyoku. In addition to operating railways, this organization was also tasked with operating all types of non-military land transportation.
There are a number of passenger and freight rail companies in Indonesia:
Some agricultural companies also operates industrial railways:
Indonesia had various types of locomotives, being the legacy of the many different companies. Surprisingly, only five steam locomotives remain in operable condition, with two located in the Ambarawa Railway Museum, two in Surakarta running the Jaladara excursion train, and one in the Sawahlunto Railway Museum. On the other hand, static steam locomotive displays are located in the Transportation Museum (under the auspices of the Department of Transportation) in Jakarta's Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (Beautiful Indonesia in Miniature Park) and Ambarawa Railway Museum (managed by PT Kereta Api) in Central Java. Plinthed locomotives can also be found in most cities and towns. Somewhat surprisingly, few non-locomotive rolling stock were preserved.
With the Asian economic crisis of 1997, remaining hulks of steam locomotives formerly standing in former depots became valuable for their scrap value, and by 2000, most locomotives not already plinthed or sent to museums were scrapped, presumably illegally.
Four operable industrial steam locomotives are present, with two more preserved, at the Cepu Forest Railway. This currently represents the largest concentration of active preserved steam locomotives in Indonesia.
Several "last" steam locomotives were built for Indonesia. E10 60, a 1966-built rack steam locomotive (Esslingen 5316) is operable in Sawahlunto Railway Museum. BB84, the last Mallet locomotive built for a non-tourist railway (according to Durrant) was built by Nippon Sharyo Keizo Kaisha in 1962 (works number 2007). This locomotive was plinthed in Banda Aceh and survived the December 2004 tsunami. The locomotive is in rather poor condition with its valve gear and cylinder pistons missing (as of March 2006).
SS 1600-class steam locomotive No. 1622 "Sri Gunung" (Mountain Queen), a 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) mallet built in 1928, preserved in the Dutch Railway Museum.
The Trangkil No. 4 (Hunslet Engine Company 3902) was built in 1971, being the last steam locomotive built at Hunslet's Jack Lane Works in Leeds, England. The locomotive was used on the Trangkil sugar mill estate on Java. It has been repatriated to the UK in 2004.
Sragi No.1 (Krauss) was built in 1899, restored to working order in 2008. This locomotive is a former sugar cane carrier in Pekalongan, Central Java. Then there are two other locomotives namely Pakis Baru No. 1 (Orenstein & Koppel built 1900) and Pakis Baru No. 5 (Orenstein & Koppel built 1905), both of which were former locomotives belonging to the Pakis Baru sugar factory in Pati, Central Java. All locomotives now preserved at Statfold Barn Railway, England.
As of 2016, PT Kereta Api operates about 350 units of diesel locomotives divided into classes in Java and Sumatra used both for passenger and freight services. The first diesel locomotive owned by PT Kereta Api was CC200 class, built by General Electric in 1953.
As of August 2017, PT Kereta Api's commuter subsidiary, Kereta Commuter Indonesia, operates 758 units of electric multiple units (EMU) in Greater Jakarta area. Most EMUs operated in Jakarta are secondhand trains acquired from major urban railway operators in Greater Tokyo in Japan, such as East Japan Railway Company, Tokyu Corporation and Tokyo Metro.
There are several types of carriages that have been and are currently used in Indonesia.
KAI provides extensive passenger services. Various classes are available, from luxury class with reclining seats and plane – like facilities, executive class with air conditioner and reclining seat comparable to the better classes of other countries' railways, business coaches which recently have been equipped with air conditioner and reclining seats much like executive class, to the hard bench, but still air conditioned, economy class coaches for cheaper trains. In last couple of years, the business and economic class are in the process of being equipped with air conditioned system. The whole process was completed in early 2013.
Sleeper trains have existed in Indonesia. The last all-sleeper train service was Bima express train which ran from 1967 to 1984 when it was changed to mostly coach, leaving only one or two sleeping cars. It ran in this configuration until 1995, when the sleeper cars were withdrawn and modified into seating coach. Since 2018, sleeper trains have been re-activated for the Argo Bromo Anggrek (Jakarta to Surabaya), Taksaka (Jakarta to Yogyakarta), Argo Lawu and Argo Dwipangga (Jakarta to Solo), and Gajayana (Jakarta to Malang).
In Java, most trains connect Jakarta and the hinterland – regional (or "cross-country" services) have not been fully developed. Between pairs of important cities such as Jakarta and Bandung, intensive hourly services are provided.
Most passenger trains in Indonesia, except commuter locals, are named. The names varies from plainly descriptive such as Depok Ekspres (a former fast service between Jakarta and Depok), through Logawa (name of a river near Purwokerto, which is served by the train), Argo Lawu (Mt. Lawu, an extinct volcano near Solo, which is served by the said express train), to more or less meaningless, though romantic, names such as Bangunkarta (abbreviation of names of cities it serves: Jombang-Madiun-Jakarta) and Matarmaja (Malang-Blitar-Madiun-Jakarta).
Railway passenger services experienced a renaissance in the 1995–1999 period, with the introduction of many new passenger express services. With the advent of cheap airplane tickets, KAI experienced a downturn in the number of passengers carried, though the number has stabilized and most trains remain at more than 50% occupancy rate.
Note: 1. KA Argo Gede and also KA Parahyangan no longer exist. As a replacement, KA Argo Parahyangan trains operate the same routing as a merge of KA Argo Gede and KA Parahyangan. 2. KA Argo Jati is merged into KA Argo Cheribon (a merge of KA Argo Jati, Cirebon Express, and Tegal Bahari (Route still the same but extended to Tegal))
As a response to many reports of sexual harassment in public places, including commuter trains and bus, KAI launched women-only carriages in some KRL Jabodetabek commuter trains in Jakarta metropolitan area in August 2010. On 13 May 2013, KAI changed women-only trains to regular trains which at the front and back of the train has a coach for women only. This rule apply in KRL Jabodetabek.
KAI designates priority seats to elderly passengers, pregnant women, disabled passengers and mother with infant to ride public transport with an equal degree of access and comfort as other people. Priority seat not only in the first and end of the train like in women only carriages, but eight seats in each carriage are designated as priority seats. This apply in KRL Commuterline.
KAI relaunched the Sleeper Train service on 11 June 2018. This sleeper train is equipped with excellent facilities even in the same class as a first class aircraft cabin. The first route for sleeper train is from Gambir Jakarta to Surabaya. The Luxury Sleeper Train is managed by another KAI subsidiary, KAI Wisata.
The railway system in Java is more or less a passenger-oriented system, and there are few freight services, due to the limited capacity of the tracks. Some notable freight services in Java include the Kalimas container train and the Parcel train between Jakarta and Surabaya, petroleum trains between refineries or oil pipe terminals and oil depots, and quartz sand trains in Central Java. Besides being operated for Krakatau Steel, the train will later be used to supply steel from Cilegon to other areas.
But in recent years, there have been many efforts to increase freight traffic in Java by introducing the GE CC206 locomotives, as well as building double-track lines that connect Jakarta and Surabaya on the North Coast line to increase the number of container trains between both cities. Many container ports have also been built in intermediate cities and towns. This effort has already attracted some customers who normally shipped their products via road.
The system in South Sumatra is rather freight-oriented. Coal unit trains, carrying coal for an electricity plant is given priority over passenger trains, and Pulp unit trains to transport pulp for paper mills. In West Sumatra, the remaining railway line serves the cement plant at Indarung, near Padang, and in North Sumatra, several oil palm and rubber plantations are served by freight trains.
In Papua, Freeport Indonesia uses underground trains to carry ore from mine to mill.
The first railways in Indonesia were built on the island of Java, using 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) gauge. During the Japanese occupation, they were converted to 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge. At its greatest extent, the Javanese-Madurese network had a length of 4,807 kilometres (2,987 mi), connecting most parts of the island. The Javanese network train (in Java Island) is divided into nine operating area divisions.
As of 2013, there are 1,869 kilometres of track in Sumatra, of which 1,348 km are operational. Several unconnected railway networks were built in the time of the Dutch East Indies:
Plans to connect up and fix these isolated lines are included in the Trans-Sumatra Railway plan. Railway services in Sumatra by operational is divided into four regional divisions, which are:
Alongside the formal railways, there's also the so called Motor Lori Ekspress or "Molek" railway in Lebong Tandai, Bengkulu. The service, which consisted of motored draisines operated by locals, connected the isolated village of Lebong Tandai with the village of Air Tenang, both in Napal Putih Subdistrict, North Bengkulu Regency. The 35 kilometres (22 mi) route through Sumatran jungle is a former 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) gold mining railway line built by the Dutch colonial in the 1900s.
The first railway network in Kalimantan island was opened in 1908, serving the oil refinery and port of Balikpapan. It was closed in 1950. In 2010, plans were announced for Kalimantan to get a 122 km long 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge railway for the transport of coal between the Muara Wahau [id] mine and the port of Bengalon. In January 2016, Russian Railways reported that the construction of a railway in Kalimantan will finish in 2019; however, in 2022 they withdraw from the initial investment plan so the railway construction was canceled.
In 2019, it was reported that governor of Bali Wayan Koster is planned to build railways on Bali with 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge. The railway "is keen to improve Bali's transportation infrastructure and is considering plans to build an electric rail network across the island". According to the Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi in early February 2024, an LRT system is planned to be built in Bali, with the route spanning from the Ngurah Rai International Airport to Mengwi. The Phase 1 of the project, which was expected to be started in September 2024, would connect the Ngurah Rai Airport with Kuta. The construction for the Phase 1 would be supported by feasibility studies and loan from South Korea.
The first railway network in Sulawesi was opened in 1922 connecting Makassar and Takalar, but was closed in 1930 due to poor revenue. The newer Trans-Sulawesi Railway is under construction as of 2022. It will be built with 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge, which is wider than the cape gauge used in Java and most of Sumatra to accommodate more weight and speed. 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 of railway from Barru to Pangkep was inaugurated and operational. As of 2022, it is the only operational part of the railway.
A 440 km railway from Manokwari to Sorong in West Papua province is planned. In Papua there is also a subway line assigned to transport mining products which is located in the Grasberg mine, Mimika Regency, near Puncak Jaya, and operated by PT. Freeport Indonesia and has been operating since 2019. Besides that, a train line is also operated specifically for students at the Nemangkawi Mining Institute.
Trams formerly existed in Jakarta, Surabaya, Malang, and Semarang before their service was closed after independence. In Jakarta the tram lines are operated using 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.
The list provides only steam-tram rolling stock of Batavia until the year 1924. The list is sorted by its year.
In recent decades, Java's transportation backbones — north coast road and railway system that serves Jakarta-Surabaya corridor, has suffered greatly from both freight and passenger congestion. The plan to build a high-speed railway system in Java has been around for many years. However, it was not until 2008 that the idea had been contemplated seriously. It was Japan International Cooperation Agency's proposal that initiated the idea to build high-speed rail for the Indonesian island of Java, linking up the densely populated corridor from the capital Jakarta to Surabaya city (covering 730 km) in East Java. Japan is eager to export their Shinkansen high-speed rail technology abroad. Following up JICA's initial study in 2012, the detailed feasibility study was concluded in 2014. In recent years, Indonesia has been undergoing a revival in railway expansion and upgrades. The high-speed rail corridors have been proposed but not implemented yet, since it was deemed too costly.
In April 2015, China had entered the race with a counter-offer to build the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail in Indonesia. A bid which alarmed Japan that has been nurtured the idea for years.
In July 2015, the Indonesian government announced their plan to build the high-speed rail system connecting Jakarta and Bandung, and devised a competition between Japan and China train-makers as potential bidders. Japan and China have expressed their interest in the project; both countries had done comprehensive studies of the project.
In late September 2015, Indonesia awarded this multibillion-dollar railway project to China over Japan.
The proposed high-speed rail will connect the nation's capital Jakarta with Bandung city in neighboring West Java province, covering a distance of 150 kilometers, and is also expected to expand further, connecting to Indonesia's second largest city, Surabaya in East Java.
The project has been delayed several times, first due to careless construction that affected nearby roads, then due to coronavirus pandemic restrictions.
In December 2015 discussion for the Jakarta-Surabaya high-speed rail was commenced by the Indonesian Coordinating Minister of Maritime and Resources. Academicians from two major universities in Indonesia, and employees from Japan International Cooperation Agency, were invited to attend the discussion.
In May 2020, coordinating Economics Minister Airlangga Hartarto announced that the government had decided to extend the China-backed Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway project to Surabaya. The line would run along a southern route to connect the Jakarta-Bandung project with Surabaya via Kertajati, where the government recently built a new airport, as well as via Surakarta and Yogyakarta. Meanwhile, Japan is working on the Java North Line Upgrading Project, which would connect Jakarta and Surabaya with a route along the northern coast of Java via Cirebon in West Java and Semarang in Central Java. A proposed travel speed of 150 km per hour for the 720-km railway connection would allow for the use of existing tracks, hence resulting in the lower development cost of about $5 billion.
The Jakarta-Bandung HSR began trial operation with passengers on 7 September 2023 and commercial operations on 2 October 2023. Indonesia and Chinese authorities discussed further plans to extend the railway across the Java island, from Jakarta to Surabaya with estimates 3.5 hours from Jakarta to Surabaya.
In Indonesia, there are several train lines that were built for tourist destinations, such as the Sebangau National Park in Central Kalimantan, Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) tourist mini train line in Jakarta using 600 mm track gauge. In addition to operating mini trains, TMII also operates SHS-23 Aeromovel Indonesia or Titihan Samirono, a light rail which was initially a wind-powered aeromovel.
In Indonesia there are several tourist attractions that provide mini train services, such as in the Punden Mbah Retjo area Sidoarjo, the Lokamerta tourist attraction in Klaten, Syamsudin Noor Airport mini train , and the Forest Train at the Kembang Langit Park, Batang Regency, Central Java.
In Indonesia, there are several monorails that are operated only for tourism purposes, namely the monorail system in Taman Remaja, Surabaya and in Wonderia Park, Semarang. Both monorails are powered by electricity. However, the manufacturer of the two monorails is not yet known.
The use of trains as transport from plantations dates back to the 1800s. In the past, to transport sugar cane from plantations to sugar factories, sugar mill companies used narrow gauge trains to transport their sugar cane products. Around the 1970s, the transportation of sugarcane from plantations to factories began using trucks. Since the early 90s, transportation of sugarcane from plantations in Indonesia has been almost entirely using trucks due to lower operational costs, time efficiency, and the reduction in sugarcane land around the sugar factory area.
In addition, due to the increasingly rapid development of transportation, road infrastructure is getting better, and lorries are getting old and slow, over time the use of lorry trains is no longer used, although until now there are still some sugar factories that still operate trains to sugarcane plantations. In addition, some of the train lines are used for tourism, some use steam locomotives and also diesel locomotives. Most of the sugarcane rail lines are operated by PT. Perkebunan Nusantara IX
The use of track gauges in sugar factories in Indonesia varies from place to place, for example:
In Indonesia there are several palm oil companies that operate trains to transport palm fruit, either from oil palm plantations to mills or just as a means of passing. The oil palm carriage is commonly referred to as "Lori Muntik". The palm oil mills are spread across Sumatra and Kalimantan. The track gauge used is 700 mm (2 ft 3+9⁄16 in). Several large palm oil companies that use this train, including PT. Socfindo, PT. BSP, PTPN II, PTPN IV in Sumatra, Sawit Seberang Factory Railway, and several other palm oil mills.
In North Sumatra there is a rubber factory that still operates trains to transport rubber latex to the factory, one of which is PT Bakrie Sumatra Plantations in Kisaran. The train was pulled by a small diesel locomotive made by Hokuriku, Schöma, and several other small locomotives. The track gauge used is 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in). There's also 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) track connecting the facility with the mainline railway.
In Indonesia there are freight trains for transporting paper and pulp which are operated by PT Kereta Api Indonesia and in collaboration with paper companies (third parties) who use the freight train services. PT KAI (and its predecessors) has collaborated with PT Kertas Leces in Probolinggo Regency and PT Tanjung Enim Lestari (TEL) Pulp and Paper. Currently, the only service that operates as a paper transport train is the PT TEL pulp train in South Sumatra with the name KA Nilahan.
Before Freeport opened the mining railway line, it turned out that there had been other railway lines in the Indonesian part of Papua for decades. This train line is in a different location from the Freeport mining train line. If the Freeport mining train line is at the Grasberg Mine in Mimika, Central Papua, this old train line is in Kumbe, Malind, Merauke, South Papua. Referring to the Industrie Spoor page, the Dutch built a 700mm gauge train line and mechanized rice cultivation on 12,000 hectares of land along the Kumbe River in the 1950s, after the Second World War ended. At that time, Papua was not yet part of Indonesia, and was still called Dutch New Guinea for the next decade. At the mouth of the Kumbe River there is a village called Kumbe, with the nearest big city being Merauke.
PT Freeport Indonesia, which is a mining company, operates underground mining trains to facilitate the transportation of copper, gold and silver ore materials to the processing plant location at Mile 74, Tembagapura, Mimika, Papua. The locomotive used is the MMT-M-270-BDE diesel locomotive made by Schalker Eisenhütte Maschinenfabrik, Germany.
Cikotok, Banten formerly known as one of the gold mining areas in Indonesia operated by PT. Antam. In order to smooth the flow of raw gold distribution, a railway line was operated. The train used is a small train with a track gauge of about 700mm. However, because the gold stock here ran out, in 2016 the mine was closed and only ruins were left, as well as the Cirotan mine monument which contained an artificial diesel locomotive Deutz-Fahr on display at that place. Apart from Cikotok, PT Antam also operates mining rail lines in other areas, one of which is in Bogor, West Java
In Sebelimbingan, Pulau Laut, South Borneo there is a relic Dutch coal mine. At that time, a railway line was built from the mine site which was used to transport coal to the port and later brought it to the Netherlands. Now the mines and railroad tracks are just ruins. In addition, in several other areas in South Kalimantan mining railway lines have also been built, such as in Amuntai, Martapura, several other places. In the Pengaron area, Hulu Sungai, South Kalimantan there is also a lorry train route which is used to transport coal.
Tarakan is an island located in the northernmost part of the east coast of 'Dutch' Borneo. Under the island in 1905 oil was found. With Tarakan Koetai produced a significant percentage of the oil from the Archipelago. This proportion rose to almost 55% in 1914 to over 70% in 1925. From 1928 however, the share due to the strong growth of Sumatra's oil production. The production and processing of the oil was in Borneo in the hands of the Batavian Petroleum Maatschappij (BPM), a subsidiary of the partnership 'Royal' / Shell. In 1929 there were 4000 coolies, especially Javanese, the Tarakan island while 170 staff were European. There are also several train lines here which are used for transporting oil to the ship dock. Until around the 1950s, the oil refinery that is now owned by Pertamina in Balikpapan still operated mini trains with small track gauges to transport oil from the refinery to the port. Currently there is no relic left.
In Belinyu, Bangka Belitung, there used to be a train route for shipping tin mines
Cepu Forest Railway, a 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) narrow gauge light logging railway that runs through teak plantations to the northwest of the town of Cepu, in Cepu district, on the boundary between Central and East Java provinces, on the island of Java in Indonesia. It is owned by Perhutani, a state-owned forestry company of Indonesia. Steam traction is still dominant.
In Indonesia, there are several rail lines that are only used for infrastructure development projects, such as power plants. Among them:
Locomotives are the main means of transportation in passenger trains or freight cars. In Indonesia, there are many locomotives weighing more than 50 tons, which are certainly capable of pulling quite long trains.
As the main train operator in Indonesia, PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) or KAI has hundreds of heavy locomotives spread across Java and Sumatra. In fact, there are a number of locomotives that do not operate on Java because they are so heavy.
Operated by Ministry of Transportation :
A coal mining company in Central Kalimantan, PT. SUS is building a train line connecting Katingan – Gunung Mas. This line is 92 km long and will be used as a special railway line for mining transportation.
.
Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) with PT PP Infrastruktur, PT Trekka, PT KKM, PT Indoserako Sejahtera, and PT Metro Putra Perkasa developed the metro capsule, an electric-based public transportation. With a length of approximately 9m, a width of 2m, and a height of 4m. One Metro Capsule carriage can accommodate 50 passengers, and it is planned that in one series there will be 11 carriages.
Industri Kereta Api in collaboration with the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) will conduct a battery-powered autonomous tram trial in Surakarta Lines, Central Java. This autonomous tram is designed to operate automatically in a mixed traffic environment. Various sensors such as cameras, radars, are installed to detect objects around. The tram is driven by an electric motor supported by a 200 kWh battery, which can travel up to 90 km on a single charge. Bogor has a project plan to build a tram system. The tram project will be built around the city of Bogor with four corridors. One of the corridors is around 9 km long and requires a budget of around 1.8 trillion charge. The city government has even prepared a special lane for trams on the Otista Bridge.
Before creating their own laws and regulations, Indonesian rail transport laws and regulations were inherited from Dutch East Indies laws, including:
In 1992, President Suharto passed the 1992 Indonesian Railways Act No. 13, replacing all the regulations above. On the end of March 2007, the People's Representative Council had passed the current law replacing 1992 act, the 2007 Indonesian Railways Act. In the current law, private and regional investors have a chance to manage rail transport, so the domination and monopoly of the KAI were abolished.
Signaling and railway signal in Indonesia (semboyan in Indonesian) are defined as messages or signs in the form of hand signals, voice, shapes, color, or light placed in a place with a certain meaning to regulate and/or control train operations. Railway signal can be in the form of commands or prohibitions demonstrated through officers, or tools in the form of shapes, colors, or sounds including signals, signals, and signs; or notifications through marks about track conditions, distinctions, boundaries, and certain instructions.
Railway signaling in Indonesia is influenced by Dutch signaling system and follows the Utrecht Convention on Railway Signaling, especially the Siemens & Halske signaling, Alkmaar type signaling and the "krian" tebeng, which became the foundation of modern Indonesian mechanical signaling. Electrical signaling began to be introduced in Java in the 1970s when signaling installations at Bandung Station and Solo Balapan were carried out by PNKA/PJKA and Siemens Mobility. In the 1980s and continuing to accelerate until now, many mechanical signaling systems have changed to electrical for several reasons such as operational efficiency and increased train traffic related to the construction of double track.
The influence of Dutch signaling in Indonesian railways is outlined in Regulation 3 on Signals (drafted during the Staatsspoorwegen period and refined by the Railway Service), which was later revised in 2010 with Service Regulation 3 on Signals. The old regulation had different interpretations of colors, namely white as a sign of "safe", green as a sign of "limited speed", and red as a "danger sign". However, Service Regulation 3 regulates the color green as a sign of "safe", and yellow as "limited speed". This regulation also influenced the Ministry of Transportation in drafting PM No. 10 of 2011 concerning Technical Requirements for Railway Signaling Equipment.