The Indonesian government plans to expand the national railway network from approximately 7,000 km to 14,000 km over the coming decades, with the expansion to include new railway lines and the reactivation of currently inactive tracks. The plan is being developed under directives from President Prabowo Subianto to strengthen national connectivity and increase the role of rail in freight and passenger transport.
The government is preparing a master plan for inter-island railway development, including the proposed Trans-Sumatra, Trans-Kalimantan and Trans-Sulawesi railway systems. The existing network is concentrated mainly on Java, while the proposed expansion is intended to extend rail connectivity to other major islands. The government is also considering the phased reactivation of disused railway infrastructure as part of the 14,000-km target.
The Coordinating Ministry for Infrastructure and Regional Development is intended to strengthen rail’s role in the national logistics system, particularly by shifting freight from roads to rail. The government is using Japan as a reference for developing an integrated railway network across an archipelagic country, with rail expected to support both passenger mobility and logistics distribution.
The expansion is also linked to Indonesia’s emissions-reduction objectives. According to Yudhoyono, greater use of rail for freight could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 4.2 million tonnes while reducing heavy-vehicle traffic on roads. The government expects the development of the Trans-Sumatra, Trans-Kalimantan and Trans-Sulawesi networks to improve regional connectivity and support more balanced economic development.