Transport in Indonesia

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Indonesia's transport system has been shaped over time by the economic resource base of an archipielago with thousands of islands, and the distribution of its more than 220 milion people highly concentrated on a single island.

All transport modes play a role in the country’s transport system and are generally complementary rather than competitive. Road transport is the predominant mode with a total length of 370,500 km in 2003. The railway system has four unconnected networks in Java and Sumatra primarily dedicated to transport bulk commodities and long-distance passenger traffic. Sea transport is extremely important for economic integration and for domestic and foreign trade; and well developed, with each of the major islands having at least one significant port city. The role of inland waterways is relatively minor and is limited to certain areas of Eastern Sumatra and Kalimantan. The function of air transport is significant, particularly where land or water transport is deficient or non-existent; and already established, based on an extensive domestic airline network where all major cities can be reached by passenger plane.

Common modes of transportation in Indonesia include many ferries and other ships, a wide variety of road vehicles, limited railroad service, and extensive commercial aviation.

1 Marine transportation
2 Roads and highways
3 Railways
4 Pipelines
5 Airports
- 5.1 Airports - with paved runways
- 5.2 Airports - with unpaved runways
6 See also

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Marine transportation

Because Indonesia encompasses a sprawling archipelago, maritime shipping provides essential links between different parts of the country. Boats in common use include large container ships, a variety of ferries, passenger ships, sailing ships, and smaller motorized vessels.

Frequent ferry services cross the straits between nearby islands, especially in the chain of islands stretching from Sumatra through Java to the Lesser Sunda Islands. On the busy crossings between Sumatra, Java, and Bali, multiple car ferries run frequently twenty-four hours per day. There are also international ferry services between across the Straits of Malacca between Sumatra and Malaysia, and between Singapore and nearby Indonesian islands, such as Batam.

A network of passenger ships makes longer connections to more remote islands, especially in the eastern part of the archipelago. The national shipping line, Pelni, provides passenger service to ports throughout the country on a two to four week schedule. These ships generally provide the least expensive way to cover long distances between islands. Still smaller privately-run boats provide service between islands.

On some islands, major rivers provide a key transportation link in the absence of good roads. On Kalimantan, longboats running on the rivers are the only way to reach many inland areas. Indonesia has 21,579 km of navigable waterways (2004), of which about one half are on Kalimantan, and a quarter each on Sumatra and Papua.

Major ports and harbors include Cilacap, Cirebon, Jakarta, Kupang, Palembang, Semarang, Surabaya, and Makassar. Ports are managed by the various Indonesia Port Corporations, of which there are four, numbered I through IV. Each has jurisdiction over various regions of the country, with I in the west and IV in the east.

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Roads and highways

Image:Bemo.jpgA wide variety of vehicles are used for transportation on Indonesia's roads.

Bus services are available in most areas connected to the road network. Between major cities, especially on Sumatra, Java, and Bali, services are frequent and direct; many services are available with no stops until the final destination. In more remote areas, and between smaller towns, most services are provided with minibuses or small vans. Buses and vans are also the primary form of transportation within cities.

Many cities and towns have some form of transportation for hire available as well, such as taxis and motorized autorickshaws. Cycle rickshaws, called becak in Indonesia, are common in many cities, and provide an inexpensive form of in-town transportation. They have been blamed for causing traffic congestion and banned from most parts of central Jakarta. Horse-drawn carts are found in some cities and towns.

Private cars are far too expensive for the majority of the population, and are uncommon except in larger cities.

Indonesia has about 158,670 km of paved highways and about 184,000 km of unpaved highways (1999 estimate).

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Railways

Template:Main Most railways in Indonesia are on Java, which has two major rail lines that run the length of the island, as well as several minor lines. Passenger and freight service runs on all of the lines. There is also commuter rail service in the Jakarta metropolitan area, and a monorail mass transit system is under construction in the city.

The only other areas in Indonesia having railroads are two separate regions of Sumatra, one in the north around Medan, and one near the southern tip.

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