TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsPrabowo revives plan for trans-Sumatra, Kalimantan railways
The President has announced plans to step up railway development across the country, beginning with a cross-island network on Sumatra, as a cost-efficient “instrument of economic democratization” that would improve public transport connectivity, particularly for lower-income communities and people in smaller towns.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
A man guides a vendor on May 3, 2026, as he crosses a railroad before an oncoming train in the Tanah Kusir area of Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta. (Antara/Sulthony Hasanuddin)
P
resident Prabowo Subianto has revived plans for a trans-Sumatra rail network, connecting Bakauheni in the southern province of Lampung with Banda Aceh in the island's north, as part of the government's broader push to strengthen national rail connectivity.
Speaking on Thursday during the inauguration of the restored Semarang Tawang train station in the Central Java capital, Prabowo said the government aimed to expand the rail infrastructure beyond Java toward developing a similar network in Kalimantan.
This would involve building "a trans-Sumatra railway from [provincial capital] Bandar Lampung, from the southernmost point in Bakauheni to the northernmost point”, he said.
“After the trans-Sumatra railway, we'll move on to the trans-Kalimantan railway. If possible, we'll start both at the same time," he added.
The President said he wanted state railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) to grow into a larger, more modern transportation company capable of serving additional regions across the country.
He also emphasized that railway development should prioritize public service rather than commercial returns alone, particularly by expanding access for lower-income communities and residents in smaller towns.
"Railways are a cost-efficient logistics instrument. They benefit the public, especially low-income communities. Railways are an instrument of the people's economy and a true instrument of economic democratization," Prabowo said.
