Rail Transport In Indonesia
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The majority of Indonesia's railways are on
Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
, used for both passenger and freight transport. There are three noncontinuous railway networks in
Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
(
Aceh Aceh ( ), officially the Aceh Province ( ace, Nanggroë Acèh; id, Provinsi Aceh) is the westernmost province of Indonesia. It is located on the northernmost of Sumatra island, with Banda Aceh being its capital and largest city. Granted a s ...
and
North Sumatra North Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Utara) is a province of Indonesia located on the northern part of the island of Sumatra. Its capital and largest city is Medan. North Sumatra is Indonesia's fourth most populous province after West Java, East Java and ...
;
West Sumatra West Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Barat) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. The province has an area of , with a population of 5, ...
;
South Sumatra South Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Selatan) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the southeast of the island of Sumatra, The province spans and had a population of 8,467,432 at the 2020 Census. The capital of the province is Palembang. The pro ...
and
Lampung Lampung (Lampung: ), officially the Province of Lampung ( id, Provinsi Lampung) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the southern tip of the island of Sumatra. It has a short border with the province of Bengkulu to the northwest, and a ...
) while two new networks are being developed in
Kalimantan Kalimantan () is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. It constitutes 73% of the island's area. The non-Indonesian parts of Borneo are Brunei and East Malaysia. In Indonesia, "Kalimantan" refers to the whole island of Borneo. In 2019, ...
and
Sulawesi Sulawesi (), also known as Celebes (), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the world's eleventh-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Mindanao and the Sulu Ar ...
. Indonesia has finalized its plan for a national railway network recently. According to the plan, 3,200 km of train tracks that will criss-cross 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 7,032km. Urban railway exist in form of
commuter rail Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...
in all provinces and
metropolitan areas A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...
of Java – notably in
Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...
– as well as
Medan Medan (; English: ) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, as well as a regional hub and financial centre of Sumatra. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Medan is one of the four main ...
, North Sumatra. New mass rapid transit and light rail transit system are currently being introduced in Jakarta and
Palembang Palembang () is the capital city of the Indonesian province of South Sumatra. The city proper covers on both banks of the Musi River on the eastern lowland of southern Sumatra. It had a population of 1,668,848 at the 2020 Census. Palembang ...
, South Sumatra. Despite Indonesia having a left-hand running for roads, most of the railway lines use right-hand running due to Dutch influence. Indonesia's rail gauge is , although and lines previously existed. Newer constructions in Sumatra including Aceh, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and Papua, along with the
Jakarta LRT The Jakarta Light Rail Transit (Jakarta LRT) ( id, Lintas Rel Terpadu Jakarta, lit. "Jakarta Integrated Rail Line") is one of the light rail systems in Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia. It is being implemented by the Jakarta provincial ...
and Jakarta-Bandung HSR, are using the 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 PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) (English: Indonesian Railways Company, abbreviated as PT KAI or simply KAI) is the sole operator of public railways in Indonesia. It is completely state-owned and pays track access charges to the government. ...
(KAI), its commuter subsidiary
KAI Commuter PT Kereta Commuter Indonesia (trading as KAI Commuter, abbreviated as KCI or KAIC) is a subsidiary of the Indonesian national railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) which manages commuter rail services. Initially founded as an operator of ...
, and the airport rail link subsidiary KAI Bandara. The infrastructure is state-owned, and companies pay a fee for using the railways. Various narrow gauge industrial tramways operate in Java and Sumatra, serving the
sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...
and
oil palm ''Elaeis'' () is a genus of palms containing two species, called oil palms. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil. The African oil palm ''Elaeis guineensis'' (the species name ''guineensis'' referring to its co ...
industries.


History

The first railway line in Indonesia opened in 1867 and was initially laid to
standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...
size. The railways were gradually expanded by both the state and private companies. The Japanese occupation and the
Indonesian War of Independence The Indonesian National Revolution, or the Indonesian War of Independence, was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between the Republic of Indonesia and the Dutch Empire and an internal social revolution during postwar and postcoloni ...
left Indonesia's railways in a poor condition. A batch of 100 steam locomotives were ordered in 1950, and
dieselisation Dieselisation (US: dieselization) is the process of equipping vehicles with a diesel engine or diesel engines. It can involve replacing an internal combustion engine powered by petrol (gasoline) fuel with an engine powered by diesel fuel, as o ...
started in 1953. By the 1980s most mainline services had been dieselised. Electric multiple units were obtained from
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
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.


Operators

There are a bunch of passenger and freight rail companies in Indonesia: * PT
Kereta Api Indonesia PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) (English: Indonesian Railways Company, abbreviated as PT KAI or simply KAI) is the sole operator of public railways in Indonesia. It is completely state-owned and pays track access charges to the government. ...
(KAI) — operates local, regional, and intercity trains ** PT Railink ( KAI Bandara) — operates airport rail link services, joint venture with
Angkasa Pura II Angkasa Pura (Sanskrit for ''Sky City'') is the name used by two separate state enterprises of the Indonesian Ministry of State Owned Enterprises responsible for the management of airports in Indonesia. The two companies are PT Angkasa Pura ...
** PT Kereta Commuter Indonesia (
KAI Commuter PT Kereta Commuter Indonesia (trading as KAI Commuter, abbreviated as KCI or KAIC) is a subsidiary of the Indonesian national railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) which manages commuter rail services. Initially founded as an operator of ...
) — operates commuter rail services ** PT Kereta Api Logistik ( KAI Logistik) — operates courier-by-rail services * PT MRT Jakarta — operates
Jakarta MRT The Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit ( id, Moda Raya Terpadu ''Jakarta'') or Jakarta MRT (, stylized as ''mrt jakarta'') is a rapid transit system in Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia. The system is operated by PT Mass Rapid Transit Jakarta (Per ...
, province-owned company of Special Capital Region of Jakarta * PT LRT Jakarta — operates
Jakarta LRT The Jakarta Light Rail Transit (Jakarta LRT) ( id, Lintas Rel Terpadu Jakarta, lit. "Jakarta Integrated Rail Line") is one of the light rail systems in Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia. It is being implemented by the Jakarta provincial ...
, subsidiary of Jakpro, a province-owned company of Special Capital Region of Jakarta * PT
Angkasa Pura II Angkasa Pura (Sanskrit for ''Sky City'') is the name used by two separate state enterprises of the Indonesian Ministry of State Owned Enterprises responsible for the management of airports in Indonesia. The two companies are PT Angkasa Pura ...
— operates Soekarno-Hatta Airport Skytrain * PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia–China — planned to operate Jakarta–Bandung high-speed rail, joint venture of PT Pilar Sinergi BUMN Indonesia (consortium of KAI,
Wijaya Karya Wijaya or Widjaja, an Indonesian word meaning "victory", may refer to: People *Angelique Widjaja (born 1984), Indonesian tennis player *Candra Wijaya (born 1975), Chinese-Indonesian badminton player *Chelsea Olivia Wijaya (born 1992), Indonesian ...
, Perkebunan Nusantara VIII, and
Jasa Marga Jasa (in Aragonese: ''Chasa'') is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research ce ...
) and Beijing Yawan HSR Co. Ltd. (consortium of China Railway International,
China Railway Group China Railway Group Limited known as CREC (the acronym of its predecessor and parent company China Railway Engineering Corporation) is a Chinese construction company which floats in Shanghai and Hong Kong stock exchanges. The major shareholder o ...
,
Sinohydro Corporation Sinohydro (Chinese Language, Chinese: 中国水电; long form: 中国水利水电建设集团公司) is a Chinese SASAC, state-owned hydropower engineering and construction company. In the 2012 Engineering News-Record Top 225 Global Contractors, ...
,
CRRC Corporation CRRC Corporation Limited (known as CRRC) is a Chinese state-owned and publicly traded rolling stock manufacturer. It is the world's largest rolling stock manufacturer in terms of revenue, eclipsing its major competitors of Alstom and Siemens. It ...
, and China Railway Signal and Communication) Some agricultural companies also operates industrial railways: * Perkebunan Nusantara (state-owned) ** PT Perkebunan Nusantara II — operates palm oil trains ** PT Perkebunan Nusantara IV — operates palm oil trains ** PT Perkebunan Nusantara IX — operates sugarcane lines and tourist train * PT Bakrie Sumatra Plantations (part of
Bakrie Group The Bakrie Group is an Indonesian conglomerate founded by Achmad Bakrie in 1942. It has interests across various industries including mining, oil and gas, property development, infrastructure, plantations, media and telecommunications. The gr ...
) — operates rubber and palm oil freight trains * PT Tanjung Enim Lestari — operates pulp freight trains


Rail infrastructures by region


Java

The first railways in Indonesia were built on the island of
Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
, using gauge. During the Japanese occupation, they were converted to gauge. At its greatest extent, the Javanese network had a length of , connecting most parts of the island. The Javanese network train (in Java Island) is divided into nine operating divisions.


Sumatra

In Sumatra as of 2013, there are 1,869 kilometres of track, of which 1,348 km are operational. Several unconnected railway networks were built in the time of the
Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...
: *
Banda Aceh Banda Aceh ( Acehnese: ''Banda Acèh'', Jawoë: كوتا بند اچيه) is the capital and largest city in the province of Aceh, Indonesia. It is located on the island of Sumatra and has an elevation of . The city covers an area of and had ...
-
Lhokseumawe Lhokseumawe ( id, Kota Lhokseumawe; ace, Lhôk Seumaw‘è, Jawi: ), is the second largest city in Aceh province, Indonesia. The city covers an area of 181.06 square kilometres, and had a population of 171,163 at the 2010 censusBiro Pusat Stati ...
-Besitang-
Medan Medan (; English: ) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, as well as a regional hub and financial centre of Sumatra. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Medan is one of the four main ...
-Tebingtinggi-
Pematang Siantar Pematangsiantar (sometimes written as Pematang Siantar, acronym PS or ''P. Siantar'', colloquially just Siantar), is an independent city in North Sumatra, Indonesia, surrounded by, but not part of, the Simalungun Regency, making Pematangsiantar a ...
-Rantau Prapat in northern Sumatra (the Banda Aceh-Besitang section was closed in 1971, but is being rebuilt, as of 2011 ), using Track gauge . *
Padang Padang () is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of West Sumatra. With a Census population of 1,015,000 as of 2022, it is the 16th most populous city in Indonesia and the most populous city on the west coast of Sumatra. Th ...
-
Solok (BERAS)(Clean, Elegant, Neat, Safe and Prosperous) , image_shield = Logo Kota Solok.png , image_map = Lokasi Sumatra Barat Kota Solok.svg , map_caption = Location within West Sumatra , pushpin_map =Indon ...
-
Bukittinggi Bukittinggi ( min, Bukiktinggi, Jawi: , formerly nl, Fort de Kock) is the third largest city in West Sumatra, Indonesia, with a population of 111,312 in 2010 and 121,028 in 2020, and an area of 25.24 km2. It is in the Minangkabau Highlands ...
in
West Sumatra West Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Barat) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. The province has an area of , with a population of 5, ...
*
Bandar Lampung Bandar Lampung (Lampung: , ''Kutak Bandarlampung'', formerly Dutch: ''Oosthaven'', lit. "Eastern Harbor") is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of Lampung. Located on the southern tip of Sumatra, Bandar Lampung was original ...
-
Palembang Palembang () is the capital city of the Indonesian province of South Sumatra. The city proper covers on both banks of the Musi River on the eastern lowland of southern Sumatra. It had a population of 1,668,848 at the 2020 Census. Palembang ...
-Lahat-Lubuk Linggau in southern Sumatra. 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:


Kalimantan

The first railway network in Kalimantan island was opened in 1908, serving the oil refinery and port of
Balikpapan Balikpapan is a seaport city in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Located on the east coast of the island of Borneo, the city is the financial center of Kalimantan. Balikpapan is the city with the largest economy in Kalimantan with an estimated 2 ...
. It was closed in 1950. In 2010, plans were announced for
Kalimantan Kalimantan () is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. It constitutes 73% of the island's area. The non-Indonesian parts of Borneo are Brunei and East Malaysia. In Indonesia, "Kalimantan" refers to the whole island of Borneo. In 2019, ...
to get a 122 km long railway for the transport of coal between the mine and the port of
Bengalon Bengalon is a town in the East Kalimantan province of Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, includi ...
. In January 2016,
Russian Railways Russian Railways (russian: link=no, ОАО «Российские железные дороги» (ОАО «РЖД»), OAO Rossiyskie zheleznye dorogi (OAO RZhD)) is a Russian fully state-owned vertically integrated railway company, both manag ...
reported that the construction of a railway in Kalimantan will finish in 2019. Recently, In 2022,
Russian Railways Russian Railways (russian: link=no, ОАО «Российские железные дороги» (ОАО «РЖД»), OAO Rossiyskie zheleznye dorogi (OAO RZhD)) is a Russian fully state-owned vertically integrated railway company, both manag ...
reported withdraw from the initial investment plan so the railway construction was canceled.


Lesser Sunda Islands

In 2019, It was reported in ''Gapura Bali'' that Wayan Koster, governor of
Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nu ...
, Railways on Bali will be built with
standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...
, "is keen to improve Bali's transportation infrastructure and is considering plans to build an electric rail network across the island".


Sulawesi

The first railway network in Sulawesi was opened in 1922 connecting
Makassar Makassar (, mak, ᨆᨀᨔᨑ, Mangkasara’, ) is the capital of the Indonesian province of South Sulawesi. It is the largest city in the region of Eastern Indonesia and the country's fifth-largest urban center after Jakarta, Surabaya, Med ...
and Takalar, but was closed in 1930 due to poor revenue. In 2022, The Trans-Sulawesi Railway is now under construction, and will be built with
standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...
which is wider than the
cape gauge A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck. History Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...
used in
Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
and older lines in
Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
to accommodate more weight and speed.


Papua

A 440 km railway from
Manokwari Manokwari is a coastal town and the capital of the Indonesian province of West Papua. It is one of only seven provincial capitals of Indonesia without a city status. It is also the administrative seat of Manokwari Regency. However, under pro ...
to
Sorong Sorong is the largest city and the capital of the Indonesian province of Southwest Papua. The city is located on the western tip of the island of New Guinea with its only land borders being with Sorong Regency. It is the gateway to Indonesia's ...
in
West Papua province West Papua ( id, Papua Barat), formerly Irian Jaya Barat (West Irian), is a province of Indonesia. It covers the two western peninsulas of the island of New Guinea, the eastern half of the Bird's Head Peninsula (or Doberai Peninsula) and th ...
is planned. In Papua there is also a subway line assigned to transport mining products which is located in the
Grasberg mine The Grasberg mine has one of the largest gold mining, reserves of gold and copper extraction, copper in the world. It is located in Mimika Regency, Central Papua, Indonesia near Puncak Jaya. It is operated by PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI, ''s ...
,
Mimika Regency Mimika Regency is one of the regencies (''kabupaten'') in the Indonesian province of Central Papua. It covers an area of 21,693.51 km2, and had a population of 182,001 at the 2010 Census, but grew to 311,969 at the 2020 Census. The official e ...
, near
Puncak Jaya Puncak Jaya (; literally "Glorious Peak") or Carstensz Pyramid, Mount Jayawijaya or Mount Carstensz () on the island of New Guinea, with an elevation of , is the list of islands by highest point, highest mountain peak of an island on Earth. Th ...
, 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.


Rolling stock


Preserved locomotives

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 The Ambarawa Railway Museum, ( id, Museum Kereta Api Ambarawa, officially named Indonesian Railway Museum by the Indonesian Railway Company) is a museum located in Ambarawa in Central Java, Indonesia. The museum focuses on the collection of ste ...
, two in
Surakarta Surakarta ( jv, ꦯꦸꦫꦏꦂꦠ), known colloquially as Solo ( jv, ꦱꦭ; ), is a city in Central Java, Indonesia. The 44 km2 (16.2 sq mi) city adjoins Karanganyar Regency and Boyolali Regency to the north, Karanganyar Regency and Sukoh ...
running the Jaladara excursion train, and one in the
Sawahlunto Sawahlunto (Jawi script, Jawi: ) is a city in West Sumatra, Western Sumatra province, Indonesia, and lies 90 kilometres (a 2-hour drive) from Padang, the provincial capital. Sawahlunto is known as the site for the oldest coal mining site in Southe ...
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 Taman Mini "Indonesia Indah" (literally ''"Beautiful Indonesia" Mini Park''—the apostrophes are in the name—abbreviated as TMII) is a culture-based recreational area located in East Jakarta, Indonesia. Since July 2021, it is operated by the G ...
'' (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 The Asian financial crisis was a period of financial crisis that gripped much of East Asia and Southeast Asia beginning in July 1997 and raised fears of a worldwide economic meltdown due to financial contagion. However, the recovery in 1998–1 ...
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 The Cepu Forest Railway (officially branded as Loco Tour Cepu) is a narrow gauge light forest railway, logging railway that runs through teak plantations to the northwest of the town of Cepu (town), Cepu, in Cepu, Blora, Cepu district, on the boun ...
. 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 Sawahlunto (Jawi script, Jawi: ) is a city in West Sumatra, Western Sumatra province, Indonesia, and lies 90 kilometres (a 2-hour drive) from Padang, the provincial capital. Sawahlunto is known as the site for the oldest coal mining site in Southe ...
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 The valve gear of a steam engine is the mechanism that operates the inlet and exhaust valves to admit steam into the cylinder and allow exhaust steam to escape, respectively, at the correct points in the cycle. It can also serve as a reversing g ...
and cylinder pistons missing (as of March 2006). SS 1600-class steam locomotive No. 1622 "Sri Gunung" (Mountain Queen), a
mallet A mallet is a tool used for imparting force on another object, often made of rubber or sometimes wood, that is smaller than a maul or beetle, and usually has a relatively large head. The term is descriptive of the overall size and proport ...
built in 1928, preserved in the
Dutch Railway Museum The Railway Museum ( nl, Het Spoorwegmuseum) in Utrecht is the Dutch national railway museum. It was established in 1927 and since 1954 has been housed in the former Maliebaan station. History The museum was established in 1927 and was initiall ...
. The Trangkil No. 4 (
Hunslet Engine Company The Hunslet Engine Company is a locomotive-building company, founded in 1864 in Hunslet, England. It manufactured steam locomotives for over 100 years and currently manufactures diesel shunting locomotives. The company is part of Ed Murray & S ...
3902) was built in 1971, being the last steam locomotive built at Hunslet's Jack Lane Works in
Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. The locomotive was used on the Trangkil sugar mill estate on
Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
. It has been repatriated to the UK in 2004. Sragi No.1 (
Krauss Krauss is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alison Krauss (born 1971), American bluegrass musician * Alexander Krauß (born 1975), German politician * Alexis Krauss (born 1985), musician of the noise pop duo Sleigh Bells ...
) was built in 1899, restored to working order in 2008. This locomotive is a former sugar cane carrier in
Pekalongan Pekalongan ( jv, ꦦꦼꦏꦭꦺꦴꦔꦤ꧀) is a city of Central Java, Indonesia. It was formerly the seat of Pekalongan Regency on the northern coast of the province, but is now an independent municipality within the province. The city is Cen ...
,
Central Java Central Java ( id, Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta in t ...
. Then there are two other locomotives namely Pakis Baru No. 1 (
Orenstein & Koppel Orenstein & Koppel (normally abbreviated to "O&K") was a major Germany, German engineering company specialising in railway vehicles, escalators, and heavy equipment. It was founded on April 1, 1876 in Berlin by Benno Orenstein and Arthur Koppel. ...
built 1900) and Pakis Baru No. 5 (
Orenstein & Koppel Orenstein & Koppel (normally abbreviated to "O&K") was a major Germany, German engineering company specialising in railway vehicles, escalators, and heavy equipment. It was founded on April 1, 1876 in Berlin by Benno Orenstein and Arthur Koppel. ...
built 1905), both of which were former locomotives belonging to the Pakis Baru sugar factory in Pati,
Central Java Central Java ( id, Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta in t ...
. All locomotives now preserved at
Statfold Barn Railway The Statfold Barn Railway is a narrow gauge railway based near Tamworth, Staffordshire and partially in Warwickshire, England. Founded by engineering entrepreneur Graham Lee and his wife Carol at their farm-based home, they originally designed wh ...
,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.


Diesel locomotives

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 General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...
in 1953.


Electric trains

As of August 2017, PT Kereta Api's commuter subsidiary, Kereta Commuter Indonesia, operates 758 units of electric multiple units (EMU) in
Greater Jakarta The Jakarta metropolitan area or Greater Jakarta, known locally as Jabodetabek (an acronym of Jakarta–Bogor–Depok–Tangerang–Bekasi), and sometimes extended to Jabodetabekjur (with the acronym extended to include part of Cianjur Regency) ...
area. Most EMUs operated in Jakarta are secondhand trains acquired from major urban railway operators in
Greater Tokyo The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, consisting of the Kantō region of Japan (including Tokyo Metropolis and the prefectures of Chiba, Gunma, Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Tochigi) as well as the pre ...
in
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, such as
East Japan Railway Company The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...
and
Tokyo Metro The is a major rapid transit system in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the Tokyo Metro Co. With an average daily ridership of 6.84 million passengers, the Tokyo Metro is the larger of the two subway operators in the city; the other being the Toei ...
.


Usage


Passenger services

KAI provides extensive passenger services. Various classes are available, from luxury class with reclining seats and plane - like facilities, executive class with
air conditioner Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C or AC, is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior environment (sometimes referred to as 'comfort cooling') and in some cases also strictly controlling ...
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 Hinterland is a German word meaning "the land behind" (a city, a port, or similar). Its use in English was first documented by the geographer George Chisholm in his ''Handbook of Commercial Geography'' (1888). Originally the term was associated ...
- 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 en, Starfruit City , motto = ''Pariraca Darma''(Servant of the righteousness) , image_map = Map of West Java highlighting Depok City.svg , mapsize = , map_caption ...
), through Logawa (name of a river near
Purwokerto Purwokerto is a large but non-autonomous town on the island of Java, Indonesia. It is the capital of Banyumas Regency, Central Java province. The population of the four districts which comprise the town at the 2010 census was 233,951 and 22 ...
, which is served by the train), Argo Lawu (Mt.
Lawu The Lawu ( jv, ꦭꦮꦸ), or Mount Lawu ( jv, ꦒꦸꦤꦸꦁ​​ꦭꦮꦸ, Gunung Lawu) is a massive compound stratovolcano straddling the border between East Java and Central Java, Indonesia. The north side is deeply eroded and the eastern ...
, 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.


Argo Network

Note: K.A. Argo Gede and also K.A. Parahyangan no longer exist. As a replacement, K.A.
Argo Parahyangan Argo Parahyangan, also commonly known as GOPAR is an executive class train operated by Indonesian Railway Company (PT Kereta Api Indonesia) between Gambir railway station, Jakarta and Bandung or Kiaracondong in Java, Indonesia. The train covers 16 ...
trains operate the same routing as a merge of K.A. Argo Gede and K.A. Parahyangan.


Women only carriages

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 KRL Commuterline, or commonly known as Commuterline, is a commuter rail system for Greater Jakarta in Indonesia. It was previously known as KRL Jabodetabek. It is operated by PT KAI Commuter Indonesia (KAI Commuter/KCI), a subsidiary of the In ...
commuter trains in
Jakarta metropolitan area The Jakarta metropolitan area or Greater Jakarta, known locally as Jabodetabek (an acronym of Jakarta–Bogor–Depok–Tangerang–Bekasi), and sometimes extended to Jabodetabekjur (with the acronym extended to include part of Cianjur Regency) ...
in August 2010. On May 13, 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.


Priority seat

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.


Priority Class (Sleeper Train)

KAI relaunched the Sleeper Train service on June 11, 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.


Freight services

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 A container is any receptacle or enclosure for holding a product used in storage, packaging, and transportation, including shipping. Things kept inside of a container are protected on several sides by being inside of its structure. The term ...
train and the Parcel train between Jakarta and Surabaya,
petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...
trains between
refineries A refinery is a production facility composed of a group of chemical engineering unit processes and unit operations refining certain materials or converting raw material into products of value. Types of refineries Different types of refineries ar ...
or oil pipe terminals and oil depots, and
quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical form ...
sand trains in Central Java. Besides being operated for Krakatau Steel, the train will later be used to supply steel from
Cilegon Cilegon (Indonesian: ''Kota Cilegon'', Sundanese: ) is a major coastal industrial city in Banten province, Indonesia, covering . It is located on the island of Java. The city had a population of 374,464 at the 2010 Census and 434,896 at the 2020 Ce ...
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 train A unit train, also called a block train or a trainload service, is a train in which all cars (wagons) carry the same commodity and are shipped from the same origin to the same destination, without being split up or stored en route. They are dist ...
s, carrying coal for an
electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described ...
plant is given priority over passenger trains, and Pulp
unit trains A unit train, also called a block train or a trainload service, is a train in which all Railroad car, cars (wagons) carry the same commodity and are shipped from the same origin to the same destination, without being split up or stored en route. ...
to transport pulp for paper mills. In West Sumatra, the remaining railway line serves the
cement A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mix ...
plant at Indarung, near Padang, and in North Sumatra, several
oil palm ''Elaeis'' () is a genus of palms containing two species, called oil palms. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil. The African oil palm ''Elaeis guineensis'' (the species name ''guineensis'' referring to its co ...
and
rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...
plantations are served by freight trains. In Papua, Freeport Indonesia uses underground trains to carry
ore Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically containing metals, that can be mined, treated and sold at a profit.Encyclopædia Britannica. "Ore". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 7 Apr ...
from mine to mill.


Urban rail and rail-based rapid transit

Trams formerly existed in
Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...
,
Surabaya Surabaya ( jv, ꦱꦸꦫꦧꦪ or jv, ꦯꦹꦫꦨꦪ; ; ) is the capital city of the Provinces of Indonesia, Indonesian province of East Java and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. L ...
, Malang, and Semarang before their service was closed after independence. In Jakarta the tram lines are operated using track gauge operated by Bataviasche Verkeers Maatschappij and Pengangkutan Penumpang Djakarta, while in other areas track gauge were used. In
Greater Jakarta The Jakarta metropolitan area or Greater Jakarta, known locally as Jabodetabek (an acronym of Jakarta–Bogor–Depok–Tangerang–Bekasi), and sometimes extended to Jabodetabekjur (with the acronym extended to include part of Cianjur Regency) ...
,
KRL Commuterline KRL Commuterline, or commonly known as Commuterline, is a commuter rail system for Greater Jakarta in Indonesia. It was previously known as KRL Jabodetabek. It is operated by PT KAI Commuter Indonesia (KAI Commuter/KCI), a subsidiary of the In ...
is one of operational urban rail network, serving commuter routes which comprises cities of DKI Jakarta,
Depok en, Starfruit City , motto = ''Pariraca Darma''(Servant of the righteousness) , image_map = Map of West Java highlighting Depok City.svg , mapsize = , map_caption ...
,
Bogor Bogor ( su, , nl, Buitenzorg) is a city in the West Java province, Indonesia. Located around south of the national capital of Jakarta, Bogor is the 6th largest city in the Jakarta metropolitan area and the 14th overall nationwide.Bekasi Bekasi (, su, ) is a city in West Java, Indonesia, located on the eastern border of Jakarta.the city of planet Bekasi is his nickname.It serves as a commuter city within the Jakarta metropolitan area. According to the 2020 Census by Statistics ...
,
Tangerang Tangerang (Sundanese: , ) is a city in the province of Banten, Indonesia. Located on the western border of Jakarta, it is the third largest urban centre in the Greater Jakarta metropolitan area after Jakarta and Bekasi; the sixth largest city pro ...
, and
South Tangerang South Tangerang is a List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city in the province of Banten, Indonesia. Located on the southwestern border of Jakarta, the city forms part of the Jabodetabek, Greater Jakarta metropolitan area. It was administra ...
as well as regencies of
Bogor Bogor ( su, , nl, Buitenzorg) is a city in the West Java province, Indonesia. Located around south of the national capital of Jakarta, Bogor is the 6th largest city in the Jakarta metropolitan area and the 14th overall nationwide.Bekasi Bekasi (, su, ) is a city in West Java, Indonesia, located on the eastern border of Jakarta.the city of planet Bekasi is his nickname.It serves as a commuter city within the Jakarta metropolitan area. According to the 2020 Census by Statistics ...
, and
Lebak Lebak, officially the Municipality of Lebak ( hil, Banwa sang Lebak; tl, Bayan ng Lebak; mdh, Inged nu Libak, Jawi Alphabet, Jawi: ايڠايد نو ليبق), is a 1st class municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Pr ...
. The other operational urban rail networks are Jakarta provincially-owned
Jakarta MRT The Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit ( id, Moda Raya Terpadu ''Jakarta'') or Jakarta MRT (, stylized as ''mrt jakarta'') is a rapid transit system in Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia. The system is operated by PT Mass Rapid Transit Jakarta (Per ...
,
Jakarta LRT The Jakarta Light Rail Transit (Jakarta LRT) ( id, Lintas Rel Terpadu Jakarta, lit. "Jakarta Integrated Rail Line") is one of the light rail systems in Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia. It is being implemented by the Jakarta provincial ...
, and Soekarno-Hatta Airport Rail Link to support the public transport network in the area. Regional rail functions as commuter rail in Greater
Surabaya Surabaya ( jv, ꦱꦸꦫꦧꦪ or jv, ꦯꦹꦫꦨꦪ; ; ) is the capital city of the Provinces of Indonesia, Indonesian province of East Java and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. L ...
, so technically there is no urban rail network. However, there are plans for a mass rapid transit network in and around Surabaya. Surabaya MRT planned with Track gauge in Dupak line (Manyar-Dupak-Juanda), Rungkut line (Dupak-Rungkut-Waru-Sidoarjo), Krian line (Manyar-Krian-Sidoarjo), Tanjung Perak line (Tanjung Perak-Wonokromo-Sidoarjo), Juanda line (Juanda-Sidoarjo) and Other Loop line (Dupak-Rungkut-Krian-Dupak). A 32 km diesel line from
Mojokerto Mojokerto ( jv, ꦩꦗꦏꦼꦂꦠ (''Måjåkěrtå'')) is a city in East Java Province, Indonesia. It is located 40 km southwest of Surabaya, and constitutes one of the component units of the Surabaya metropolitan area (known as Gerbangkert ...
to
Sidoarjo Sidoarjo Regency ( jv, ꦑꦧꦸꦥꦠꦺꦤ꧀ꦱꦶꦢꦲꦂꦗ, Kabupatèn Sidaharja) is a regency in East Java, Indonesia. It is bordered by Surabaya city and Gresik Regency to the north, by Pasuruan Regency to the south, by Mojokerto Regency ...
has been put into service, with 6 daily return trips. Greater Medan is served by
Kualanamu Airport Rail Link Kualanamu Airport Railink Services (ARS) ( id, KA Bandara Kualanamu) is an airport rail link service in Medan in North Sumatra, Indonesia. The rail link is built to cut travel time from Medan railway station to Kualanamu International Airport, as r ...
. ''Sri Lelawangsa'' commuter train connects Medan and nearby
Binjai Binjai (English: or , Jawi: ), formally Kota Binjai (Binjai City), is an independent city in the North Sumatra province of Indonesia, bordered by Deli Serdang Regency to the east and Langkat Regency to the west. Binjai is connected to Medan (th ...
. In Palembang,
Palembang Light Rail Transit The South Sumatra Light Rail Transit ( id, Lintas Rel Terpadu Sumatera Selatan, lit. "South Sumatra Integrated Rail Line", shortened to LRT Sumatera Selatan or LRT Sumsel), colloquially known as LRT Palembang or Palembang LRT, is an operational ...
had operate in June 2018, before the
2018 Asian Games The 2018 Asian Games ( id, Pesta Olahraga Asia 2018 or ''Asian Games 2018''), officially known as the 18th Asian Games and also known as Jakarta-Palembang 2018 or Indonesia 2018, was a Asia, continental multi-sport event that was held from 18 A ...
. In greater Yogyakarta and Surakarta,
KAI Commuter Yogyakarta Line KAI Commuter Yogyakarta Line (also called KRL Yogya–Solo, informally KRL Jogja–Solo, KRL Solo–Jogja or KRL Joglo) is a commuter rail system in Indonesia serving Greater Yogyakarta in Special Region of Yogyakarta and Greater Surakarta (Solo) ...
operates between
Yogyakarta Yogyakarta (; jv, ꦔꦪꦺꦴꦒꦾꦏꦂꦠ ; pey, Jogjakarta) is the capital city of Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by a monarchy, ...
,
Klaten Klaten Regency ( jv, ꦏ꧀ꦭꦛꦺꦤ꧀, Klathèn) is a Regencies of Indonesia, regency in Central Java province in Indonesia. It covers an area of 655.56 km2 and had a population of 1,130,047 at the 2010 Census and 1,260,506 at the 2020 ...
and
Surakarta Surakarta ( jv, ꦯꦸꦫꦏꦂꦠ), known colloquially as Solo ( jv, ꦱꦭ; ), is a city in Central Java, Indonesia. The 44 km2 (16.2 sq mi) city adjoins Karanganyar Regency and Boyolali Regency to the north, Karanganyar Regency and Sukoh ...
. ''
Prambanan Express Prambanan Express ( id, Prambanan Ekspres), commonly abbreviated as Pramex (in English) and Prameks (in Indonesian) is a commuter rail service that operates between Yogyakarta, Special Region of Yogyakarta and Kutoarjo, Purworejo Regency, Central ...
'' connects Yogyakarta with
Purworejo Purworejo is a regency ( id, kabupaten) in the southern part of Central Java province in Indonesia. It covers an area of 1,034.82 km2 and had a population of 695,427 at the 2010 Census and 769,880 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate ...
. Yogyakarta International and Adisumarmo Airport Rail Links exists in Yogyakarta and Surakarta, respectively. In
Padang Padang () is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of West Sumatra. With a Census population of 1,015,000 as of 2022, it is the 16th most populous city in Indonesia and the most populous city on the west coast of Sumatra. Th ...
,
Minangkabau Express Minangkabau Express ( id, KA Minangkabau Ekspres) is an airport rail link service in West Sumatra, Indonesia. This line was built to cut travel time from Padang city centre to the Minangkabau International Airport in Padang Pariaman Regency, as r ...
is in operation.


Tourist rail

In Indonesia, there are several train lines that were built for tourist destinations, such as the Gamplong tram line in
Sleman Regency Sleman Regency () is an Indonesian regency ( id, Kabupaten) on the island of Java. It is located in the north of the Yogyakarta Special Administrative Region, Indonesia, and has an area of , with a population of 1,093,110 at the 2010 CensusBiro ...
,
Special Region of Yogyakarta The Special Region of Yogyakarta (; id, Daerah Istimewa (D.I.) Yogyakarta) is a Provinces of Indonesia, provincial-level Autonomous administrative division, autonomous region of Indonesia in southern Java. It has also been known as the Special ...
using track gauge, the
Ancol Ancol ( nl, Antjol, zh, 安恤) is a coastal lowland area located to the east of Kota Tua Jakarta in northern Jakarta, in Indonesia. The coastal lowland stretched from Kota Tua Jakarta to the west and Tanjung Priok to the east. Today, Ancol contai ...
mini train line in Jakarta using track gauge, and the
Taman Mini Indonesia Indah Taman Mini "Indonesia Indah" (literally ''"Beautiful Indonesia" Mini Park''—the apostrophes are in the name—abbreviated as TMII) is a culture-based recreational area located in East Jakarta, Indonesia. Since July 2021, it is operated by the G ...
(TMII) tourist mini train line in Jakarta using 670 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 An atmospheric railway uses differential air pressure to provide power for propulsion of a railway vehicle. A static power source can transmit motive power to the vehicle in this way, avoiding the necessity of carrying mobile power generating eq ...
.


Industrial railway


Sugar cane

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 A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving wheels ...
. 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: * Track gauge , used in PG Djatiwangi Majalengka, PG Djatibarang Brebes, PG Pangka Tegal, PG Cepiring Kendal, PG Soedhono Ngawi, PG Tulangan Sidoarjo, PG Gendhing Probolinggo, and PG Pandji Situbondo. * Track gauge , only used in PG Kadhipaten Majalengka. * Track gauge , used in PG Gempol Cirebon, PG Tersana Baru Cirebon, PG Ketanggungan Barat Brebes, PG Soemberhardjo Pemalang, PG Rendeng Kudus, PG Kalibagor Banyumas, PG Gondang Winangoen Klaten, PG Kartasoera Surakarta, PG Rejosarie Magetan, PG Poerwodadie Magetan, PG Arasoe Bone Sulawesi, PG Sragie Pekalongan, and others (almost all sugar factories in Java use this track gauge). * Track gauge , only used in PG Sindanglaut Cirebon. * Track gauge , used in PG Bandjaratma Brebes, PG Pakis Baru Pati, PG Trangkil Pati, PG Ceper Baru Klaten, PG Tjolomadoe Solo, and PG Tasikmadu Karanganyar.


Palm oil

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 Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
and
Kalimantan Kalimantan () is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. It constitutes 73% of the island's area. The non-Indonesian parts of Borneo are Brunei and East Malaysia. In Indonesia, "Kalimantan" refers to the whole island of Borneo. In 2019, ...
. The track gauge used is . Several large palm oil companies that use this train, including PT. Socfindo, PT. BSP, PTPN II, PTPN IV in Sumatra, and several other palm oil mills.


Rubber plantations

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. The train was pulled by a small diesel locomotive made by Hokuriku, Schoma, and several other small locomotives. The track gauge used is .


Mining & oil transport

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 Tembagapura is a district in Mimika Regency, part of the Indonesian province of Central Papua, centered on an urban village built to support the Grasberg Mine. The district covers 2,586.86 km2, and it had a population of 16,917 at the 2010 Census ...
,
Mimika Mimika Regency is one of the regencies (''kabupaten'') in the Indonesian province of Central Papua. It covers an area of 21,693.51 km2, and had a population of 182,001 at the 2010 Census, but grew to 311,969 at the 2020 Census. The official e ...
, Papua. The locomotive used is the MMT-M-270-BDE diesel locomotive made by
Schalker Eisenhütte Maschinenfabrik Schalker Eisenhütte Maschinenfabrik GmbH is a German engineering company, a manufacturer of industrial locomotives and coking furnaces. History The company was founded in , Gelsenkirchen, in 1872 by Friedrich Grillo with backing from the Grevel ...
,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. Cikotok,
Banten Banten ( id, Banten; Sundanese: , romanized ''Banten'') is the westernmost province on the island of Java, Indonesia. Its capital city is Serang. The province borders West Java and the Special Capital Region of Jakarta on the east, the Java Se ...
formerly known as one of the gold mining areas in
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
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 Deutz-Fahr () is a German agricultural machinery manufacturer. It was established in 1968 after the acquisition of the majority of share capital in FAHR, a leading company already producing agricultural equipment in the previous century, b ...
on display at that place. Apart from Cikotok, PT Antam also operates mining rail lines in other areas, one of which is in
Bogor Bogor ( su, , nl, Buitenzorg) is a city in the West Java province, Indonesia. Located around south of the national capital of Jakarta, Bogor is the 6th largest city in the Jakarta metropolitan area and the 14th overall nationwide.West Java West Java ( id, Jawa Barat, su, ᮏᮝ ᮊᮥᮜᮧᮔ᮪, romanized ''Jawa Kulon'') is a province of Indonesia on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten ...
In Sebelimbingan, Pulau Laut,
South Borneo South Kalimantan ( id, Kalimantan Selatan) is a province of Indonesia. It is the smallest province in Kalimantan, the Indonesian territory of Borneo. The provincial capital was Banjarmasin until 15 February 2022 when it was legally moved to Ban ...
there is a relic
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
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 South Kalimantan ( id, Kalimantan Selatan) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is the smallest province in Kalimantan, the Indonesian territory of Borneo. The provincial capital was Banjarmasin until 15 February 2022 when it wa ...
mining railway lines have also been built, such as in Amuntai, Martapura, several other places. Until around the 1950s, the oil refinery that is now owned by
Pertamina PT Pertamina (Persero), formerly abbreviated from ''Perusahaan Pertambangan Minyak dan Gas Bumi Negara'' (lit. 'State Oil and Natural Gas Mining Company'), is an Indonesian state-owned oil and natural gas corporation based in Jakarta. It was cr ...
in
Balikpapan Balikpapan is a seaport city in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Located on the east coast of the island of Borneo, the city is the financial center of Kalimantan. Balikpapan is the city with the largest economy in Kalimantan with an estimated 2 ...
still operated mini trains with small track gauges to transport oil from the refinery to the port. Currently there is no relic left.


High-speed rail

In recent decades,
Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
n 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 rail High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines ...
way 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 The is a governmental agency that delivers the bulk of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for the government of Japan. It is chartered with assisting economic and social growth in developing countries, and the promotion of international co ...
'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 Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...
to
Surabaya Surabaya ( jv, ꦱꦸꦫꦧꦪ or jv, ꦯꦹꦫꦨꦪ; ; ) is the capital city of the Provinces of Indonesia, Indonesian province of East Java and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. L ...
city (covering 730 km) in East Java. Japan is eager to export their
Shinkansen The , colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. Initially, it was built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond l ...
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 Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...
with
Bandung Bandung ( su, ᮘᮔ᮪ᮓᮥᮀ, Bandung, ; ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of West Java. It has a population of 2,452,943 within its city limits according to the official estimates as at mid 2021, making it the fourth most ...
city in neighboring
West Java West Java ( id, Jawa Barat, su, ᮏᮝ ᮊᮥᮜᮧᮔ᮪, romanized ''Jawa Kulon'') is a province of Indonesia on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten ...
province, covering a distance of 150 kilometers, and is also expected to expand further, connecting to Indonesia's second largest city,
Surabaya Surabaya ( jv, ꦱꦸꦫꦧꦪ or jv, ꦯꦹꦫꦨꦪ; ; ) is the capital city of the Provinces of Indonesia, Indonesian province of East Java and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. L ...
in
East Java East Java ( id, Jawa Timur) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost hemisphere of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean bord ...
. 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 Airlangga Hartarto (born 1 October 1962) is an Indonesian politician and businessman. He is the current Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs (Indonesia), Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs in President Joko Widodo's Onward Indonesi ...
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 Surakarta ( jv, ꦯꦸꦫꦏꦂꦠ), known colloquially as Solo ( jv, ꦱꦭ; ), is a city in Central Java, Indonesia. The 44 km2 (16.2 sq mi) city adjoins Karanganyar Regency and Boyolali Regency to the north, Karanganyar Regency and Sukoh ...
and
Yogyakarta Yogyakarta (; jv, ꦔꦪꦺꦴꦒꦾꦏꦂꦠ ; pey, Jogjakarta) is the capital city of Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by a monarchy, ...
. 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 Cirebon (, formerly rendered Cheribon or Chirebon in English) is a port city on the northern coast of the Indonesian island of Java. It is the only coastal city of West Java, located about 40 km west of the provincial border with Central Java ...
in West Java and
Semarang Semarang ( jv, ꦏꦸꦛꦯꦼꦩꦫꦁ , Pegon: سماراڠ) is the capital and largest city of Central Java province in Indonesia. It was a major port during the Dutch colonial era, and is still an important regional center and port today. ...
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.


Heritage railways

There are several railway lines that are currently only used as tourist train lines. Some of them in
Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
have the Tuntang-Bedono train line in the
Ambarawa Railway Museum The Ambarawa Railway Museum, ( id, Museum Kereta Api Ambarawa, officially named Indonesian Railway Museum by the Indonesian Railway Company) is a museum located in Ambarawa in Central Java, Indonesia. The museum focuses on the collection of ste ...
area which has a jagged train line. Tourist trains here are pulled using
steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...
B25 and
diesel locomotive A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving whee ...
D 301. Then in the Cepu,
Central Java Central Java ( id, Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta in t ...
area there is a train line belonging to Perum Perhutani which was formerly used as a wooden carriage. Now it is only used as a tourist train line called Cepu Loco Tour or
Cepu Forest Railway The Cepu Forest Railway (officially branded as Loco Tour Cepu) is a narrow gauge light forest railway, logging railway that runs through teak plantations to the northwest of the town of Cepu (town), Cepu, in Cepu, Blora, Cepu district, on the boun ...
. This tourist train is pulled using a C-2902 steam locomotive and a diesel locomotive. This railway line operated by Perum Perhutani. The city of Surakarta has an active railway line which is adjacent to the main road of the city, Jalan Slamet Riyadi. The downtown rail line connects Purwosari Station with Wonogiri Station in
Wonogiri Regency Wonogiri Regency is a regency () in the southeastern part of Central Java province in Indonesia. It covers an area of 1,822.36 km2, and its population was 928,904 at the 2010 Census and 1,096,138 at the 2020 Census. The capital and largest t ...
. The Jaladara train is manned by the steam locomotive C1218 and D52, which includes a small locomotive used for horizontal routes. This locomotive pulls two carriages made of genuine teak wood made in 1920 with the codes CR16 and CR144. The steam train was an old
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
-made train in 1896 and was sent to Indonesia that same year by the
Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...
Government as a means of short-distance transportation. In Sumatra, the Sawahlunto Railway Museum is located on the Sawahlunto-Muaro Kalaban railway line. In the past, this route was used to transport coal from
Sawahlunto Sawahlunto (Jawi script, Jawi: ) is a city in West Sumatra, Western Sumatra province, Indonesia, and lies 90 kilometres (a 2-hour drive) from Padang, the provincial capital. Sawahlunto is known as the site for the oldest coal mining site in Southe ...
to Padang. Currently the line has been deactivated, and the plan is for the Sawahlunto-Muarokalaban segment to be reactivated as a Mak Itam tourist train line which will later be towed by the Esslingen E10 steam locomotive. Now the line is listed as a world heritage by
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
. In Lebong Tandai,
Bengkulu Bengkulu is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the southwest coast of Sumatra. It was formed on 18 November 1968 by separating out the former Bencoolen Residency area from the province of South Sumatra under Law No. 9 of 1967 and was fi ...
, there is a Molek train using a track gauge . Molek is not the first to be in Lebong Tandai. In fact, Molek was born from the limitations of residents in remote areas of the forest after the death of the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
and an
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
n-owned company that finished mining gold there. Previously, when the
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
entered the bowels of the forest in Napal Putih Subdistrict, North Bengkulu to hunt for gold veins in 1901. The carriages and seats were made of long boards wrapped in leather and makeshift foam.


See also

* Polsuska *
Transport in Indonesia Indonesia's transport system has been shaped over time by the economic resource base of an archipelago with thousands of islands, and the distribution of its more than 200 million people concentrated mainly on a single island, Java. All modes ...
*
List of named passenger trains of Indonesia A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
*
List of railway stations in Indonesia This article is a list of railway stations in Indonesia. The stations are operated by Indonesia's rail transport in Indonesia, national rail operator, Kereta Api Indonesia. Jakarta Banten West Java Central Java Special Region of Yogyaka ...
* List of railway companies in the Dutch East Indies * List of defunct railway in Indonesia


References


Sources

* United States Central Intelligence Agency (June 2, 2005),
The World Fact Book: Indonesia
'. Retrieved June 17, 2005. * Garratt, Colin. ''The World Encyclopedia of Locomotives'' Anness Publishing (London), 2003, p. 47.


Further reading


How the Railroad is Modernising Asia
The Advertiser, Adelaide, S. Australia, 22 March 1913. N.B.: The article is of approx. 1,500 words, covering approx. a dozen Asian countries.


External links

; Regulator * ; Operators * * * * {{Asia in topic, Rapid transit in Infrastructure in Indonesia
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...