[10] 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.

Newer constructions in Sumatra including Aceh, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and Papua, along with the Jakarta LRT and Jakarta-Bandung HSR, are using the 1,435 mm gauge.

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.

[24] 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.

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.

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.

1622 "Sri Gunung" (Mountain Queen), a 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) mallet built in 1928, preserved in the Dutch Railway Museum.

5 (Orenstein & Koppel built 1905), both of which were former locomotives belonging to the Pakis Baru sugar factory in Pati, Central Java.

As of 2016, PT Kereta Api operates about 350 units of diesel locomotives divided into classes in Java and Sumatra[32] used both for passenger and freight services.

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.

[49] 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.

The railway "is keen to improve Bali's transportation infrastructure and is considering plans to build an electric rail network across the island".

[53] 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.

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.

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.

[citation needed] 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.

[78][79] 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.

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.

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.

[120] 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.

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.

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.

Railway signals are divided into temporary, permanent, switch, water funnel, weighbridge, and free space boundaries.

If the white board with the black-edged circle is visible (facing the train), then the exit signal indicates "stop", so be careful.

If the white board with the black-edged circle is parallel to the rail (rotating 90 degrees), then the exit signal indicates "go", so be invited to enter.

Signs are generally in the form of commands or prohibitions that must be obeyed by engine drivers or other train crew officers during the journey.

), or by cause (e.g.: driver and signalman error; mechanical failure of rolling stock, tracks and bridges; vandalism, sabotage and terrorism; level crossing misuse and trespassing; natural causes such as flooding and fog; hazards of dangerous goods carried; effectiveness of brakes; and adequacy of operating rules).