RAILWAYS of INDONESIA

B 5112 Restored

2012-02-14T21:20:00.009+07:00

B 5112 at the Ambarawa depot

Prior to 1900 the main passenger trains of the Staatsspoorwegen (SS), the Netherlands Indies State Railway Company, on its flat plain routes were hauled by 2-4-0 locomotives. However, by the turn of the century it was felt that more powerful and faster locomotives were needed. In 1900 Hanomag delivered the first engines of the 600 class to the SS. The design of this 4-4-0 engine was based on the Prussian State Railways class P4 locomotive. Eventually, 44 engines of these series, built by Hanomag, Hartmann and Werkspoor, were operated by the Staatsspoorwegen

Prussian State Railways P4 Locomotive

During the Depression ( 1929-1934) many engines of this class were mothballed. In the late 1930s they returned to active duty, but only on branch lines. Following the Japanese occupation class 600 were renumbered B51. Class B51 continued to be operated by the Indonesian Railway Company till the early 1980s.

The last surviving engine of this series is B5112 which has been put on static display at the Ambarawa Railway Museum since 1976. Soon, however, B5112 will running again thanks to restoration works that are being done at the Ambarawa locomotive depot. Currently the boiler is back in working order and the depot staff are starting work on the cylinders. When ready, the engine will haul tourist train between Ambarawa and Tuntang.

B 5135 (Photo: Tony Ford)
.

Sidetrack: Not about trains but about (vintage) airplanes

2012-01-30T18:35:00.029+07:00

Today, in this age of mass air travel, flying is an everyday experience. As the tag line of Asia’s leading budget airline Air Asia proclaims: “Now everyone can fly”. Back in the pre-jet days of 1950s, however, when flying was not yet as common as today, it still had a sense of adventure and glamour in it.

It was in those days, in October 1956, that I, for the first time ever, flew on an airplane. My mother, younger brother and I were travelling from Indonesia to the USA to join my father who had left earlier to study there. Our airplane, a KLM Royal Duch Airlines Lockheed Constellation, took off early in the morning from Kemayoran Airport, Jakarta.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Lockheed Constellation, Kemayoran Airport, Jakarta, Indonesia

Our first stopover was at Paya Lebar Airport, Singapore. The next stop was Don Mueang Airport, Bangkok. Those, of course, were the days before Sukarno-Hatta, Changi and Suvarnabhumi airports. From Bangkok we flew to New Delhi. At about midnight we arrived at Karachi. We were taken to Hotel Midway House, a hotel owned by KLM located near the airport, where we could freshen up and rest for a few hours. The name Midway comes from the fact that Karachi is approximately halfway between Amsterdam and Jakarta. Very early in the morning we were brought back to the airport, to continue our journey to Amsterdam via Beirut, Rome, and Geneva.

Hotel Midway House, Karachi, Pakistan

We arrived in Amsterdam early in the evening. There we stayed overnight before continuing our journey the next evening on a Pan American World Airways (PAA) Douglas DC7C “Seven Seas.” Before crossing the Atlantic our plane made a brief stop in London. After flying non-stop for about thirteen hours we arrived the next morning at Idlewild Airport in New York.

Pan American World Airways Douglas DC7C ‘Seven Seas”

From Idlewild we were transferred to La Guardia Airport, to catch the afternoon flight to Nashville. The plane we rode on the last leg of our journey was an American Airlines Douglas DC6. After about three hours aboard this plane we finally arrived at our final destination, Nashville, Tennessee.

American Airlines Douglas DC6

Together with my mother and brother I had flown over three continents (Asia, Europe, and North America) and across one ocean (the Atlantic), on three different types of aircrafts (Lockheed Constellation, Douglas DC7 and DC6). It was quite an experience, especially for a first-time air traveller.

Indonesia concrete balls combat 'train surfing'

2012-01-18T19:54:00.006+07:00

BBC 17 January 2012

Railway staff in Indonesia have started hanging concrete balls above train tracks to try to prevent commuters from riding on carriage roofs.

The first balls were installed just above carriage-height near a station outside the capital, Jakarta.

More will be put up elsewhere if they are found to keep people off the roofs.

Previous attempts to deter roof riders included spraying roofs with paint, spreading oil on carriages and hiring musicians to perform safety songs.

Correspondents say those initiatives have failed. Officials hope that the latest move will prove to be the ultimate deterrent.

Roof riders also face the possibility of imprisonment.

Electrocuted

The balls - which can deliver a severe blow to the head - will be suspended a few inches above the tops of carriages at points where trains enter or pull out of stations, or where they go through crossings.

Critics say that 'roof surfing' takes places because there are not enough trains
Officials told the BBC that "roof surfing" can be extremely dangerous. In 2008 at least 53 passengers died in an accident while travelling on a train roof. In 2011, 11people were killed.

Most victims are electrocuted by overhead power cables, but some fall off train carriages while trains are moving.

The BBC's Dewi Safitri in Jakarta says that passengers on train roofs can be seen every morning and evening. At peak times about 400,000 commuters cram in or onto carriages to travel into and out of the centre of Jakarta.

While tickets are cheap by Western standards, poorer people struggle to pay which is why they go on the roofs, correspondents say.

The main problem, commuters say, is just how crowded the trains are. Reports say some ticket holders also end up on train roofs because there is no room inside.

Officials say they have tried everything to stop the problem - and even put rolls of barbed wire on train roofs - but nothing has worked.

Officials say that if the latest initiative is successful, the project will be expanded.

But the "roof surfers" themselves told the Associated Press news agency that they are determined not to be put off.

"I was really scared when I first heard about these balls,'' said Mulyanto, 27, who rides daily between his hometown of Bogor and Jakarta almost every day for work.

"It sounds like it could be really dangerous. But I don't think it will last long. They have tried everything to keep us from riding... but in the end we always win.''

Indonesian trains run on often poorly maintained tracks left behind by Dutch colonisers 60 years ago.

Critics say that the problem of "roof surfing" will never be completely ironed out until there are fewer delays and enough trains to meet demand.

Early morning bike ride

2012-01-01T18:00:00.023+07:00

Since about a year ago I started cycling instead of swimming to keep fit. I have found that cycling has certain advantages compared to swimming. I can do it everyday (weather allowing, of course) instead of only two or three times a week. I do not have to pay entrance and I can start right from my door. But most importantly, I can pass along a railway track. This not just any track; it is part of the first railway line in Indonesia, the 25 kilometres Semarang-Tanggung line opened in 1867. But before I get to the tracks I first pass through quite and shady kampung streets.

My regular encounters during these morning trips is with the humble economy class Bojonegoro feeder. Once in while I meet some slow freight trains waiting at the passing loop at Alastua Station.

One day, however, I was surprised to see the crack Argo Bromo Anggrek ‘Go Green’ which was about three hours behind schedule.

During weekends and holidays Alastua station has become a popular place for train watching and an impromptu fair has sprung up where one can buy food, toys and even clothes.

KAI unveils new logo, travel card system

2011-09-28T15:52:00.017+07:00

The Jakarta Post Wed, 09/28/2011 9:49 PM National

Old logo

New logo

Among celebrations of the 66th anniversary of state-owned railway company PT KAI on Wednesday, the company unveiled a new corporate logo, hoping the new look will help re-energize its performance as a mass transportation provider.

The new logo is simpler than its predecessor, and consists of an orange stripe above a blue stripe. The previous logo consisted of three white stripes on an orange background.

Besides the new logo, the company also launched its new rail card system, which can be used to book train tickets at ticket machines at several locations. The rail card is being issued in cooperation with Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI). — JP

Copyright © 2011 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved.
Source URL: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/09/28/kai-unveils-new-logo-travel-card-system.html

Thai Interlude: Hualamphong Station Bangkok

2010-11-13T20:56:00.045+07:00

These pictures were taken at Hualamphong Station, Bangkok, during a brief visit on 16 October 2010.

The portrait of King Chulalongkorn (1853 - 1910) the modernizer of Thailand dominates the main hall. In 1891 the King issued a Royal Proclamation for the construction of the first railway line in Thailand between Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima.

An Altshom AD24C diesel electric locomotive

Two General Electric CM22-7i diesel electric locomotives

I wished I had the time to ride one of the State Railway of Thailand's (SRT) trains. I especially would have liked to travel to Kanchanaburi and see the infamous Thai-Burma Death Railway.

Commemorating 143 years of railways in Indonesia

2010-11-13T08:14:00.017+07:00

On 29 October 2010 a special train was run from Semarang Tawang Station to Tanggung Station. This 25 kilometer trip along Indonesia's first railway line commemorates the 143th anniversary of railways in Indonesia.

Departure from Tawang Station, Semarang. at 07:00 AM

Arrival at Tanggung Station, 1 hour 30 minutes later

The special train was made up of two coaches (converted GW cement trucks) and a YR truck, hauled by a Krupp D301 diesel engine disguised as NIS 01. NIS, of course, stands for Nederlandsch-Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij (NISM), the first railway company in Indonesia that had build the Semarang-Tanggung line.

For this trip guests were asked to dress in 'period' costumes.

This train will later serve as a tourist train running along the scenic Ambarawa-Tuntang line.

2010-06-30T16:18:00.006+07:00

June 29, 2010
Amir Tejo & Putri Prameshwari

Police and residents look at a derailed train in Madiun, Indonesia's east Java province June 29, 2010. Six people were killed and 73 were injured. (Reuters Photo/Stringer)

Six Dead and 73 Injured After Train Derails in East Java

Six people were killed and dozens injured when a train derailed and rolled down an embankment near Madiun, East Java, on Tuesday. The Logawa train was traveling from Purwokerto in Central Java to Jember in East Java when it derailed. Three of its cars went off the track and rolled down the embankment. The Ministry of Transportation has dispatched a team to Madiun to investigate.

Tundjung Inderawan, director general of railway transportation at the ministry, said the team would try to determine the cause of the accident, the deadliest train incident since a 2008 crash in Lampung that killed nine people. “The ministry’s director of railway safety and his team have arrived on the scene, and we are monitoring developments,” Tundjung said. He added that a team from the National Transportation Safety Committee would conduct a separate investigation. Officials identified four of the victims as Rahmat Bayu Rianto, 15; Hariadi M Noor Khoiri, 38; Kuatno, 29; and Sholeh, 58.

Police are still attempting to determine the identities of the remaining two victims. Madiun Police Chief Umar Effendi said the 73 injured passengers had been taken to Panti Waluyo Hospital in Madiun. Umar said the police and state railway operator PT Kereta Api were still unable to determine the cause of the accident. “We are still focusing on the evacuation process,” he said. Tundjung said that cars 9 to 11 derailed when the train was on an elevated section of track in the Saradan Wilangan area. “They fell around 10 meters down,” he said, adding that the position of the fallen cars had made it difficult to reach the passengers. Tundjung said a train had departed from Solo to help with the evacuation, and that a crane would also soon arrive to lift the derailed cars. “The other cars have been pulled to the nearest station,” he said.

Heri Winarno, a spokesman for the Kereta Api office overseeing the Surabaya region, said the accident disrupted several services on the southern line. “We have diverted trains from Surabaya and Malang that run on the southern line to the northern line,” he said. The diverted trains included the Sancaka bound for Yogyakarta, the Jakarta-bound Bima and Gajayana, and the Bandung-bound Turangga and Malabar. Heri said passengers should expect continued delays because trips on the northern line took longer. A bottleneck of passengers is inevitable, he said, because it is the school holiday season and most trains are fully booked.

The rail system is notorious for its poor safety record. Old tracks and cars are often not maintained properly, resulting in frequent derailments and crashes. According to information from the Ministry of Transportation, the number of people killed in accidents involving trains rose from 45 in 2008 to 57 in 2009. Tundjung said that despite the age of the tracks and cars, human error remained the main cause of train accidents.

Passengers bid farewell to legendary train

2010-04-27T15:18:00.013+07:00

Published in The Jakarta Post (http://www.thejakartapost.com) The Jakarta Post Tue, 04/27/2010 4:01 PM

Indah Setiawati

Long-time users of the Parahyangan train, which has for almost 40 years ploughed the Jakarta to Bandung route, spared time Monday to watch the train embark on its last journey before its discontinuation.

One passenger came with his family from as far as Batam to enjoy the spectacle, while others drove all the way from Tangerang, Banten; all with the same intention of becoming “part of the history” as the last passengers on the train, the operation of which was terminated due to financial losses.

“I was so shocked to learn that the Parahyangan would not operate anymore,” Sita Hutabarat, one of the passengers, told The Jakarta Post, adding that recently she had begun taking her car to Bandung, West Java, via the Cipularang turn pike.

Sita drove all the way from her house in Tangerang, Banten, to Gambir station in Central Jakarta to take the Parahyangan with her friend, Mira Idris, who lives in Rangkasbitung.

They came at 8:30 a.m., very close to the departure time of the train, which in the end departed 15 minutes late.

“Had we been late, we would have taken the next train. We are so determined to take this train because today will be its last day,” she said.

Holiday maker Romi Arno from Batam, Riau province, said he had brought his family to ride the Parahyangan because he wanted his children, who had never ridden on a train before, to become part of history.

State railway company PT KAI decided to cancel the train’s operation because it was suffering financial losses due to a sharp decline in passenger numbers.

The train, which began operating in 1971, carried 76 executive class passengers and 204 business class passengers every day on average.

The company reduced the train’s fares to woo more passengers but to no avail.

A one-way business class ticket cost Rp 30,000 (US$3.3), and an executive class ticket Rp 50,000.

PT KAI operated two executive trains, the Parahyangan and the Argo Gede, both serving the same route.

Together they ran six departures from Bandung and six from Jakarta per day with an average occupancy rate of between 50 and 60 percent.

Starting Tuesday, the company will operate only the Argo Gede.

PK KAI’s vice president of passenger transportation Husein Nurrony said the company was forced to take the decision after an evaluation showed it had suffered losses of Rp 36 billion last year.

He blamed the losses on the Cikampek-Purwakarta-Padalarang (Cipularang) turn pike, which has shortened the trip from Jakarta to Bandung from five hours to 2.5 hours.

The 41-kilometer-long turn pike, which cost the state Rp 1.6 trillion, opened only a few days before the Asia Africa Conference Golden Jubilee kicked off in Bandung in April 2005.

Transportation expert F. Trisbiantara said PT KAI’s financial strategy had been compromised by the turn pike. He said experts had warned the government that the turn pike would threaten the rail link.

He said the toll’s smooth traffic would not last long. “It will soon become congested,” he told the Post.

He said developing the nation’s rail network would benefit travelers in the long run because rail’s passenger capacity was “unlimited” as a train could have many extra coaches attached to it on busy days.

“The government should realize that in a large country with an abundance of people like Indonesia, the most appropriate transportation to develop is rail,” Trisbiantara said.

— JP

Copyright © 2010 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/04/27/passengers-bid-farewell-legendary-train.html

An afternoon at Purwosari Station, Solo

2010-04-07T07:59:00.009+07:00

These pictures were taken at Purwosari station on the afternoon of 16 March 2010, while waiting for the Semarang bound Joglosemar train from Yogyakarta.

Uncertain future for C1218 in Solo

2010-04-06T23:44:00.044+07:00

For more than two decades C1218 (constructed by Hartmann in 1896) was stored in the back of the shed in Cepu, forgotten and neglected but more or less intact. In 2002 a group of foreign railway enthusiasts led by Rob Dickinson, a frequent visitor to Indonesia and an authority on Indonesia’s railway heritage, were able to collect enough money to move C1218 to Ambarawa. The idea was that it would be restored there, but things did not move as fast as expected, and C1218 sat rusting outside the shed at Ambarawa for about three years. Suddenly, however, in 2005 PTKA (the Indonesian Railway Company) decided that it could spend money to restore C1218 and within a few months Pudjiono and his staff at the Ambarawa Locomotive Depot were able to make C1218 run again.

C1218 in Ambarawa

The intention was to use the restored C1218 on the flat Ambarawa – Tuntang line. But the line was not ready yet for C1218 as it still needed major improvements. As a result C1218 did not see much service after being restored. Except for an occasional run to Jambu it was mostly idle at the Ambarawa shed.

Meanwhile, the Mayor of Solo came up with the idea to have a steam train run on the track alongside Slamet Riyadi Street, Solo’s main thoroughfare, to attract tourists. At that time only one train, the once daily, one-coach Solo - Wonogiri feeder train hauled by an ancient BB300 series Krupp diesel engine, used the track.

In April 2009 the Mayor together with a busload of city officials came to Ambarawa to pick an engine for the tourist train. Initially, the Mayor wanted the mammoth CC5029 Mallet engine. This, of course, was out of the question. Besides being unsuitable for an urban line (CC5029 used to serve the mountainous Priangan region), CC5029 was in such a bad condition that it would be much too expensive to restore it. Finally, it was agreed that C1218 would be leased to the City of Solo. It was also agreed that in September of that year C1218 and its rack of two wooden coaches (also from Ambarawa) would operate as a tourist train in Solo.

At that time the Indonesian Railway Preservation Society (IRPS) had already pointed out to the City of Solo as well as PTKA that there was not yet any proper facility in Solo for maintaining C1218. No one, however, paid much attention, so on 27 September 2009 amid much fanfare the steam tourist train, named ‘Sepur Kluthuk Jaladara’ was launched. In mid March, however, there were reports that all was not well with C1218. IRPS, therefore, decided to send a small team (Aditya Dwi Laksana, Asep Suherman and myself) to Solo to find out what the problem was.

When we left Semarang Poncol Station on 16 March 2010 only Setyo Prakoso, an IRPS member living in Solo, knew about our schedule for that day. However, just after we passed Gundih on board the Pandanwangi train, Aditya got a call from Sutrisno, Head of Operations of PTKA's Region 6. How he knew about our itinerary is a mystery. In any case, when we arrived at Solo Balapan desides Setyo, Sutrismo was also there to meet us. Without wasting any time we were immediately rushed to Solo Balapan depot.

Gundih station

At the depot we were greeted by the depot chief Joemarno and some of his staff. They showed us Jaladara’s two wooden coaches (whose paint, we had been told earlier, had been peeling off due to being constantly exposed to rain and sun) which had just been given new coats of paint. Sutrisno also showed us all the repairs and maintenance work done to C1218 since its arrival in Solo from Ambarawa in September 2009. Basically, they were trying to convince us that Jaladara was not being neglected and was ready to operate any time. Nonetheless, they admitted that they had to work harder because C1218 and its rack were still stabled in the open, without any protective shelter.

C1218 in Solo Balapan

Sutrisno showing the maintenance work done to C1218

Regarding the absence of the protective roof for the railway Jaladara we were told that the original plan to place it in the depot at Purwosari could not be carried out because Purwosari depot is already full. Furthermore, the security there was poor because the depot is not a restricted area. So they thought that it is better that Jalasara remain at Solo Balapan depot, at least for the time being, despite the lack of any protective roof.

Purwosari depot

The fact is there has been a plan to construct a protective roof for Jaladara. But the City of Solo and PTKA have not agreed on who should bear the costs. We also found out that the lease payment mechanism from the City of Solo to PTKA is unclear. Rather strange, we thought, because normally such an important issue would have been settled right from the very beginning. This also means that that there is actually no money specifically set aside for maintaining C1218.

Meanwhile, the people of Solo, who used to be very enthusiastic about Jaladara, have been complaining about the high price they have to pay to ride on the train. Residents have to pay IDR 30,000 per person per trip, while non-Solonese have to pay IDR 200,000 per person per trip. Chartering the whole train would cost IDR 15,000,000. By Indonesian standards those are indeed steep figures.

Dutch Rail misleads Schiphol tourists

2010-02-23T23:04:00.012+07:00

For those who are planning to travel to the Netherlands please take notice (Actually, I never thought that such a thing could happen there. It is something one would only expect in a less developed country):

Monday 22 February 2010

Dutch Rail (NS) is misleading thousands of tourists traveling from Schiphol airport to Amsterdam by offering them more expensive first class tickets as a priority, the Haarlems Dagblad reports on Monday.

The paper says ticket machines at the airport offer 'comfort class' tickets on their welcome screens, but that these tickets cost €6.50, compared with €3.80 for a standard ticket. Passengers who want a second class ticket have to click through to a different window.

An NS spokesman told the paper most tourists want a first class ticket because they are travelling with lots of baggage and want more room.

Some 5,000 tourists a day travel from the airport to central Amsterdam.

Revolt in the colonies: Through the fate of locomotives modern history can be studied

2009-10-17T21:38:00.012+07:00

This is an article written by Yuri Matsarsky, the editor of the regional section of the daily Russian railroad newspaper “Gudok” (http://www.gudok.ru/). It describes the connection between the Hijaz Railways and the railways of Indonesia.

(For those who do not know Russian, please use translator.)

18.09.2009 3 ноября 1920 года
«Восстание в колониях»
По судьбе паровозов можно изучать новейшую историю

Взорванные почти столетие назад паровозы и по сей день ржавеют в пустыне

Отвоевав свои земли у турок и англичан, арабы приблизили развал великих некогда империй и, сами того не ведая, способствовали развитию железных дорог на другом конце света. Осенью 1920 года «Гудок» сообщал о приближающейся победе арабов и турок над британскими колонизаторами в Месопотамии. Эти сражения были продолжением боёв Первой мировой войны, в ходе которых расклад сил был несколько иным – за свою независимость арабы воевали против турок. А британцы, как враги Османской империи, помогали им в этом. Именно британцы разработали для арабов тактику войны с турками, основой которой стали подрывы железных дорог. Авторство идеи такого способа ведения партизанской войны на Ближнем Востоке принадлежит офицеру королевских войск Томасу Эдварду Лоуренсу, прославившемуся ещё при жизни под именем Лоуренс Аравийский. Именно он объяснил лидеру Арабской освободительной армии и будущему королю Ирака Фейсалу, что укрепления турок и контролируемые ими города необходимо отрезать друг от друга, лишив возможности обмениваться солдатами и припасами. Для снабжения войск использовалась Хиджазская железная дорога, построенная турками в самом начале XX века для доставки паломников из Дамаска в священную для мусульман Медину. Но разразившаяся война превратила магистраль в военный объект. Подрывы дороги начались в 1916 году. Причём изначально подразделения Лоуренса разрушали наиболее строго охраняемые объекты – мосты и станции, для чего приходилось отбивать их у турецких войск. «Мосты и рельсы взлетали на воздух. Нас прикрывали экипажи броневиков, и порой им приходилось отбиваться, ведя огонь из-под своих машин под музыку свистевших в задымлённом воздухе осколков камней. Двадцатифунтовый кусок кремня упал на колпак орудийной башни, оставив на ней не принесшую вреда крупную вмятину. Солдаты в минуты затишья фотографировали результаты удачных попаданий. Это было роскошное сражение, принесшее роскошные разрушения», – описывал Лоуренс подробности одного из таких боёв в своей книге «Семь столпов мудрости». Чуть позже английский разведчик и его арабские товарищи освоили более эффективную тактику – подрыв поездов. Таким образом удавалось не только разрушить пути, но и вывести из строя локомотивы противника, а также захватить или уничтожить перевозимые поездами грузы. «В первый раз устанавливая мины электрического действия, мы не имели представления о том, как это нужно делать, но понимали, что эффект будет лучше, если уложить заряд поверх пролёта моста. Тогда в независимости от того, какие повреждения получит локомотив, мост рухнет, а вагоны сойдут с рельсов», – вспоминал о подготовке к первому такому подрыву Томас Лоуренс. Такого рода операции, несмотря на отсутствие у подрывников опыта, обычно увенчивались успехом. Свидетельство тому – сохранившиеся до сих пор останки локомотивов и вагонов, разбросанные по Аравийской пустыне. Разрушения, причинённые дороге, и угрозы новых подрывов вынудили турок отказаться от использования магистрали в качестве основной артерии снабжения войск. Это стало серьёзным ударом по экономике Германии – союзнице Оттоманской империи в Первой мировой войне, которая поставляла туркам свои паровозы. «Дорогу после набегов повстанцев восстанавливали, но прежнего значения она уже не имела – движение на некоторых участках полностью прекратилось. Да и на остальных поезда ходили всё реже и реже, а потому к 1920 году поставки паровозов практически сошли на нет, – сообщил «Гудку» немецкий исследователь Хиджазской магистрали Герхард Хенрих. – Известно, что последний европейский паровоз пришёл сюда в 1924 году уже после крушения Оттоманской империи и образования независимых арабских государств». Основу локомотивного парка Хиджазской дороги составляли локомотивы Hartmann серии D, спроектированные немцами специально для Ближнего Востока. И прекращение их поставок в Медину грозило фирме Hartmann, вложившей в разработку этих машин немалые средства, полным разорением. Спасли компанию Нидерланды, бывшие тогда колониальной державой. Руководство голландской колониальной железнодорожной компании Staatsspoorwegen сочло, что машины, способные работать в непростых пустынных условиях, не спасуют и перед джунглями Голландской Ост-Индии, как в те времена называлась Индонезия. «Голландцы купили у Hartmann десять уже построенных, но так и не отправленных на Ближний Восток машин, – рассказал «Гудку» член Индонезийского общества сохранения железных дорог Тжахджоно Рахарджо. – Им была присвоена аббревиатура SS (от Staatsspoorwegen) и серийные номера от 1501 до 1510. По всем параметрам машины подходили для работы в индонезийском климате. Несоответствие их было лишь в том, что строились они для работы на Хиджазской дороге, с шириной колеи 1050 мм, тогда как в Индонезии был принят стандарт 1067 мм. Но «подогнать» паровозы к нашей колее не составило никаких проблем». В строй паровозы вступили в 1920 году. Их распределили по четырём депо на разных островах Индонезийского архипелага. Работали эти машины несколько десятков лет, умудрившись, не меняя пунктов приписки, послужить сразу трём государствам. Купленные голландцами, в 1942 году они достались оккупировавшим острова японцам, а после окончания Второй мировой войны и признания Нидерландами независимости своих восточных колоний продолжили работу на железных дорогах уже свободной Индонезии. «Большинство из этих паровозов не сохранилось, они выработали свой ресурс и пошли под списание, – говорит Тжахджоно Рахарджо. – Но один из них – с номером 1506 – до сих пор находится в рабочем состоянии и катает посетителей железнодорожного музея на острове Ява. Ещё два локомотива, насколько мне известно, были возвращены на Ближний Восток и в 1997–1998 годах ещё точно работали на одном из участков Хиджазской дороги». Но путь из Дамаска в Медину проделать им уже не под силу. «Хиджазской дороги как единого целого уже не существует, – констатирует Герхард Хенрих. – Ещё в 1920-х годах прекратилось движение по тем её участкам, которые оказались на территории созданной после падения Османской империи Саудовской Аравии. Сейчас поезда ходят по ней от Дамаска до Аммана и от Маана до Акабского залива. Остальные участки магистрали давно разрушены или попросту заброшены».
Юрий Мацарский

Tracking Railway History in Indonesia - The Jakarta Globe

2009-10-08T11:31:00.006+07:00

Members of the IRPS bringing the WH202 locomotive out of its depot. (Photo courtesy of IRPS)

Growing up during the 1950s in Surabaya, Lutfhi Tjahyadi, who is 41, said he had a classic Monopoly board game with a wonderful picture of a green-and-yellow model CC200 diesel locomotive on the cover.

And as a teenager, during a rail journey from Surabaya to Jakarta, he was shocked to see the exact same train go thundering past. His heart beat faster, he said, as he craned his neck out the window to get a better look. “Emotionally, I feel like I have a tie with the train,” he said.

As an adult, Lufthi took a job in Cirebon, West Java, and discovered there were three neglected CC200s in a depot near the city’s train station.

Whenever he could, he would stop by the depot and run his hand reverently over the rusty parts and peeling paintwork of the glorious locomotives of the past. America’s General Electric Company had sold the state railway operator 27 of the hulking CC200 locomotives in 1953.

But by the end of the 20th century, 24 of the CC200 locomotives had been scrapped because they were no longer running at full power.

In 2002, a group of train buffs, initially calling itself Friends of the CC200, received approval from state railway operator PT Kereta Api to restore one of the three locomotives in Cirebon.

At that time, it changed its name to the Indonesian Railway Preservation Society. The group — which is now headquartered in Kota with branch offices in Bandung, Yogyakarta, Semarang, Surabaya and Malang — repaired the CC200 using components from other locomotives and restored the original green-and-yellow color scheme.

“Although only to a limited extent, [the CC200 locomotive] is now operable again,” said Aditya Dwi Laksana, who serves as chairman of the IRPS.

The locomotive is only used to pull broken trains short distances from the Cirebon station or to run errands, he said.

The main purpose of the society, which Lutfhi joined in 2004, is to preserve the history of the country’s trains and railroads. Railroads were introduced early into Java — the first line from Semarang through Solo to Yogyakarta opened in 1864 — and they remain for many the best way of exploring the country, as they thread their way through scenery that changes dramatically, from lowland rice fields to verdant mountains and coast.

The US-based Society of International Railway Travelers in fact offers a rail tour by chartered train through Java, which takes in steam-worked sugar cane railways, as well as the section of track between Ambarawa and Bedono in Central Java — the last surviving fragment of the early route between Semarang and Yogyakarta.

But while there is international interest in the history of Java’s railway network, many local train passengers are less than excited.

Mateta Rijalulhaq, public relations manager of PT Kereta Api, said the state railway operator had negotiated a partnership with the IRPS for the purpose of developing a better appreciation of rail history among the public.

“Their capabilities are much better than our own employees, from the knowledge and passion perspective,” Mateta said, referring to the 200 registered members of the IRPS, whose ages range from 16 to 74.

“And they’re doing this without any orientation toward profit.”

Mateta said the IRPS had helped the railway operator improve “rail culture,” which had become increasingly mired down in vandalism and other disrespectful behavior.

“People don’t buy tickets, they throw rocks at our trains, and there are many more problems on the railway,” he said.

This year the IRPS held the Indonesian Railways Roadshow, which involved setting up photo exhibitions and reading corners with a variety of literature on the railway system, and screening a number of documentaries at train stations in six cities.

Aside from the old and weathered CC200, the railway society has restored two other trains: a diesel-fueled BB200 locomotive, which was found in Semarang, and a WH202, an electric-powered train built in 1925.

Aditya said, “It’s a shame historical trains like these are no longer operable.”

“These locomotives have greater value than just old chunks of iron,” Lufthi said. “They should be preserved for the next generations, so that they can do more than just imagine — so that they can actually see, observe and touch.”

Nur Rahman, 26, fell in love with trains when he lived in a house by tracks and he jumped at the chance to join the IRPS.

“I was looking for a community that might cater to my passion for trains,” he said.

He said belonging to the IRPS had enhanced his knowledge of trains.

“Before, I only studied general things, like how a train starts moving, travels and things like that,” said Nur, who works in a pension fund financial institution.

“But now I learn about the different types of trains — their sizes, their fuel and their assets.”

He said that the IRPS has also given him the opportunity to contribute to the preservation of rail history in a more concrete way.

“I really can’t express my feelings in words,” he said. “[But] it gives me deep satisfaction.”

Preserving Indonesia's Railroad Heritage is a Labor of Love - The Jakarta Globe

2009-10-08T11:22:00.011+07:00

There are various aspects to the work carried out by the Indonesian Railway Preservation Society, but one of the most important is preserving state railway system infrastructure, such as train stations, bridges, tunnels and workshops, as well as trains and spare parts.

“We tour sites such as former train stations that have been converted into markets, workshops and storage facilities,” said Aditya Dwi Laksana, the chairman of the IRPS. “Then we identify and document things that are considered worthy of saving as heritage assets.”

In January, after months of map research and site interviews and retrieving archives from the Netherlands, the IRPS was able to locate Stasiun Samarang NIS, the first train station in Indonesia, which was established by the Dutch in 1867 in Semarang, Central Java.

Other assets that fall under the IRPS radar include equipment such as dated ticketing and station telegraph machines, historical archives and documentation, including train station blueprints, railway maps and records showing old railway lines that are no longer in use.

But preservation efforts also require less tangible assets, Aditya said. As such the IRPS also focuses on expertise, knowledge, experience and oral history.

For example, Aditya mentioned steam locomotives. “Operating and maintaining a steam locomotive requires special expertise,” he said.

“Not everyone has that expertise. If the expertise is not passed on to the next generation then there will be no one that can operate the locomotive in the future.”

In March, IRPS gave a public presentation at Soegijapranata Catholic University.

“We invited historians, archeologists, anthropologists and architects to talk about our latest discovery of the first train station in Indonesia,” Aditya said.

The last aspect of IRPS’s work is what he called “railfanning,” which refers to the activities of rail fans, or ardent train buffs.

“[Activities] range from taking a group ride on a train, to visiting railway facilities such as workshops and factories,” he said.

In the past, IRPS has chartered locomotives several times, including in Cepu and Ambarawa, and invited its members and the general public to come along for the ride.

“We stopped at some interesting spots, to look at old tunnels and bridges . . . . These railfanning activities usually function both as a fun activity, but also to educate the participants,” Aditya said.

“We want to develop a sense of love from the public regarding the railway system, in understanding its historical value and why these assets deserve to be preserved.”

Armando Siahaan

Art and railways in the Netherlands

2009-09-27T10:02:00.018+07:00

I was recently given a pack of postcards by Homme Heringa (Bureau Spoorbouwmeester) who was a member of the Identification Mission on the Revitalisation of Indonesia’s Railway Stations, together with Ben de Vries (Netherlands Cultural Heritage Agency). These are not ordinary postcards, they are postcards published by the Nederlandse Spoorwegen (Dutch Railways) showing art works in the stations, on board the trains and along the tracks of the Netherlands. These are realisations of the Dutch Railways’ ‘art policy.’ The purpose of this art policy is to:

make the mundane world of public transport less mundane and more interesting

give visual pleasure and inspiration during travel

create a new image of the Dutch Railways

integrate art, design and architecture

show the societal cultural responsibility of the Dutch Railways

These postcards show a few examples of the realisation of this policy.

At the moment it is perhaps too much to ask for the Indonesian Railway Company (PTKA) to show any interest in the arts. Instead of art works, Indonesian stations are now full of cigarette advertisements that have encroached on the signage and even overshadowed PTKA’s own logo.

But at least PTKA has tried to brighten up some of its stations by painting them gaudy colours.

Indian Railways to connect with 27 countries from Thursday

2009-09-06T17:17:00.012+07:00

An agreement aimed at linking railroad systems of India and 27 other countries in Asia and Europe comes into effect Thursday.

The Intergovernmental Agreement on the Trans-Asian Railway Network (TAR) enters into force June 11 - 90 days after China became the eighth country to have ratified the treaty, according to a press release issued by the UN Information Centre.

The other parties to the agreement are Cambodia, India, Mongolia, Republic of Korea (South Korea), Russia, Tajikistan and Thailand.

The TAR network comprises 114,000 kilometres of rail routes of international importance, aiming to offer efficient rail transport services for the movement of goods and passengers both within theregion and between Asia and Europe.

It will also provide improved access for landlocked countries to major ports, the Bangkok-based
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) said.

The Agreement identifies stations of global importance, most of which are located inland and function like ports in coastal areas. These so-called 'dry ports' will act as consolidation and distribution centres in the hinterland, spur growth and bring the benefits of economic and social development to a wider population, according to ESCAP.

The new pact is the second to have been developed under the auspices of ESCAP, with the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Asian Highway Network having entered into force in 2005.

The two networks are major building blocks towards the realisation of an international integrated inter-modal transport and logistics system for the region, ESCAP said.

Train crash kills one and blocks tracks for 24 hours

2009-09-05T19:33:00.005+07:00

The Penataran's locomotive and first car jumped the tracks and overturned. (Photo: Noeldin, JG)

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Malang

A Penataran train serving the Surabaya-Blitar-Malang route derailed Friday in Tanjungtirto subdistrict, Malang regency, East Java, killing a passenger and blocking the route for 24 hours.

The victim was identified as Sudarsono, 50, a locomotive engineer assistant on the ill-fated train that was carrying hundreds of passengers.

Sudarsono died when his body was stuck inside the narrow steering chamber and rescuers worked for two hours to retrieve his body.

Locomotive engineer D. A. Wibowo, survived the accident suffering only minor injuries and shock.

The accident also injured nine passengers who were rushed to the Saiful Anwar General Hospital in Malang for further treatment.

Witnesses said the speeding passenger train that departed from Malang Station at 13:40 hit a crossing buffalo before it derailed some eight kilometers from the station.

Before the train derailed, it directly hit and destroyed the back part of a building belonging to cigarette producer PT Bentoel Prima Investama.

The first carriage, located right behind the driver, was separated from the other carriages during the crash.

The second was derailed, but was still standing. The rest of the carriages managed to remain on the train tracks.

Survivor Mislan Sukardi, 32, of Blitar, East Java, said he was sitting in a passenger seat in the first carriage when the speeding train suddenly put on the breaks.

"In a moment, the train rocked very strongly and fell off the tracks into a rice paddy next to the railroad," he said.

Head of Malang Station Sutiono said so far the buffalo was thought to have caused the accident. "So, it's not a human error. However, we will deploy a team to investigate the case. We just have to wait for the results," he said.

Five other passenger trains serving the Surabaya-Malang route and another train carrying fuel were unable to pass through the route.

The number of delayed trains could have increased if more than 24 hours were needed to remove the wreckage from the KA Penataran train.

As of Friday afternoon the state-owned railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) were waiting for the arrival of a crane from Surakarta, Central Java, to help remove wreckage from the site.

The crash caused damage to the railway tracks and dozens of railway sleepers and will have to be replaced.

Officers from PT KAI that inspected the crash site said the location was steep and that consequently every train leaving Malang automatically sped up while passing through the region.

"The permitted speed limit is between 50 and 60 kilometers per hour," an officer said.

Head of the state-owned insurance company PT Jasa Raharja's Malang municipal office, Gatot Nursalim, assured the family of the fatal victim they would receive a maximum Rp 25 million in compensation.

While injured commuters will receive a maximum of Rp 50 million.

"We will pay all of them as this is a public transport service and therefore all passengers are insured," he said.

Previously, the KA Mutiara Timur train serving the Banyuwangi-Jember-Surabaya route was also derailed. Loose railway track were blamed for last month's accident that injured dozens.

Lasem: A unique station in a unique town

2009-08-29T11:07:00.031+07:00

The first Chinese settlement in Java was most likely established in Lasem. Lasem is located on the north coast of Java, about three hours drive east of Semarang, the provincial capital of Central Java. Its current population is about 30,000. The Chinese settlers arrived in phases, the first one in the 15th century, then in 1740, 1743, 1842, and finally in 1881. These succeeding years marked important events in the history of Chinese-Indonesians.

In 1740 there was an uprising of the Chinese in Batavia against the Dutch East Indies Company. Many Chinese were killed, while those who survived escaped to Lasem. These refugees established themselves north and south of the existing Chinese settlement.

In 1743 the Chinese of Lasem revolted against the Company, in retaliation to the Batavia massacre. The Company reacted by forcing all the Chinese who where living in villages around Lasem to settle within the town, on the western bank of the Lasem River, across the earlier Chinese settlement. This was to make it easier for the Company to control the Chinese.

In the beginning of the 19th century, the Groote Postweg (the Great Post Road) was built by Governor General Herman Willem Daendels. Part of the road passed through Lasem. The road gradually replaced Lasem River as Lasem’s main transportation artery. Consequently, the Chinese settlement which formerly faced the river now became more oriented towards the road. The town grew and new settlements were established in the southeast (1842) and northwest (1881) of the existing settlements.

The Chinese in Lasem basically built their settlements following principles put down in the Kao Gong Ji, written in the time of the West Zhou Dynasty (1066 -770 BCE) and the fengshui. However, unlike towns in mainland China, Lasems’s main orientation is towards the west (not the south), and it is not a walled city. But, like in China, their courtyard houses are walled compounds, designed to accommodate two or three generations. The earlier houses have strong Chinese characteristics, but later houses also show Dutch and Indies architectural influences.

In 1881 the Samarang-Joana Stoomtram Maatschappij (SJS, Samarang-Joana Steam Tram Company) was granted a concession to build a railway line from Samarang (now spelt Semarang) to Joana (now spelt Juwana or Juana). In 1900 the line was extended from Juwana to Lasem, and a station was built on the southwestern edge of the town.

(Map: Rob Dickinson)

The original station was a very simple affair, but in 1914 a new station was built to replace it. Architecturally, this new station is rather unique amongst stations in Indonesia. Though its basic layout is typical of SJS medium sizes stations, its architectural detail shows some Chinese influences.

Unfortunately, this unique and beautiful station is in a very bad condition. Since the closure of the former SJS lines in the 1980s, no trains pass through this station. It is now abandoned and neglected. This is perhaps a reflection of the town of Lasem itself, which is now also a dying town. The road widening projects and the anti Chinese sentiment in the days of the New Order government have caused serious physical damages to the Chinese style houses. But the most critical problem it is facing today is the decline of its batik-based economy. Like the station, many of the beautiful houses are now abandoned or only occupied by the elderly as many of the younger generation have left Lasem to seek a better living elsewhere.

A steam hauled train on the roadside track on the Juwana – Rembang - Lasem line, May 1976 (photo: Rob Dickinson)

The Banjar - Cijulang Tour

2009-07-18T16:43:00.068+07:00

Construction of the Banjar-Cijulang branch line started in 1911. The first section, about 31 kilometres down to Kalipucang, was opened in December 1916. The second section to Parigi was finished in January 1921, while the short extension to Cijulang was officially opened in June 1921. The railway line was mainly built by the Netherlands Indies colonial government to open up the then isolated East Priangan (Preanger) region and to carry the surplus copra produced in that area. It is also believed that the line had a military purpose, and was part of a planned railway route along Java’s southern coast, from Bayah in the west to Banyuwangi in the east.

One of the reasons it took such a long time to build this relatively short line was because many bridges and viaducts had to be built and many tunnels had to be dug. Along the 83 kilometres line there are at least four tunnels and three long viaducts. Hundreds of workers died of malaria and other diseases building the line. The situation became so bad that the Staatsspoorwegen (SS) , the State Railway Company, in its 1916 report stated that no workers were willing to work on the project.

Part of the line skirts the deep blue Indian Ocean. Many people believe that the Indian Ocean is the abode of the mythical Queen of the South Sea. The combination of gorges, ravines, jungle and ocean makes it one of the most scenic railway lines in Indonesia.

On 4 and 5 July 2009 a group from the Indonesian Railway Preservation Society (IRPS) made a trip along the disused line. The group visited three of the four tunnels and two of the longest viaducts. Unfortunately, since the whole line had been closed for more than two decades, the tour had to be made by bus and (naturally) on foot.

The trip started early in the morning of 4 July with short tour of Banjar Station and its former engine shed. This station dates from 1894 but renovated in 1949 after sustaining heavy damage in the war of independence. This busy former junction is on the Bandung- Yogyakarta mainline. The shed is more or less abandoned, but the turntable is still workable.

The next stop was Banjarsari Station. This station was built in 1911, at about the same time the Banjar-Kalipucang line was built. In 1986 the closure of the Banjar-Pangandaran line also meant that this station, together with the other stations and halts along the line, became redundant. Earlier, in 1984, the Pangandaran-Cijulang line had already been closed. The reasons given were the poor condition of the bridges and viaducts and the large number of non-paying passengers. This, of course, is a reflection of the bad management of the railways. In 1995 there were plans to reopen the line, and the tracks up to Banjarsari had actually been rehabilitated, but the economic crisis in 1997 stopped the project on its track.

The group did not spend much time at Banjarsari, because except for the station building ( now used as a house), nothing much of the railway remains. We continued our journey to the Hendrik tunnel. This 128 meter tunnel is now part of a local road connecting villages in the area. It is named after Prince Hendrik, husband of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands (r.1890-1948). We walked into the tunnel, and came out on the other side. After a short walk further down the road, we saw a magnificent sight, the Cikacepit viaduct. Even though a closer look showed that many parts have been vandalized, it was still impressive, with its nearly 300 meters span and high trestles spanning the deep ravine below it.

It is interesting that in the book published to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Staatsspoor- en Tramwegen (State Rail- and Tramway Company) in 1925 there is no mention of Cikacepit. However, it shows a drawing of it, with the explanation that it is the “bridge over the Tji Pembokongan ravine on the Bandjar-Parigi line”. Strangely, the name Tji Pembokongan (Cipembokongan) is totally unknown today.

After a fifteen minute trip along the main road, the bus stopped at the edge of another ravine. We were going to see two more tunnels, about 400 meters straight below the road, only accessible by a narrow trail. It started to drizzle and the narrow path had become slippery, so some people decided not to go down. At the bottom of the path on our left we were met by the northern opening of the Wilhelmina Tunnel, known locally as Sumber Tunnel. At the other end of the tunnel Sumber Station used to stand, but nothing remains of it. Having a length of 1208 meters, Wilhelmina Tunnel is the longest railway tunnel in Indonesia. It is, appropriately, named after the reigning queen of the Netherlands at the time of its completion in 1916. We were not allowed to enter, however; besides being full of snakes, lizards and insects, it was feared that there was poisonous gas inside the tunnel.

We then turned to the right. After about 300 meters we entered the Juliana Tunnel, known as Terowongan Bengkok (Curved Tunnel) by the local people. As its names suggests, this 147 meter tunnel is curved. It is named after Princess Juliana, who became Queen of the Netherlands in 1948 when her mother Queen Wilhelmina abdicated. Here, we were allowed to enter and see the viaduct on the other side of the tunnel. This unnamed viaduct directly leads to the Cikacepit viaduct.

After struggling along the slippery trail back up to the road where our bus was parked, we continued our journey to Ciputrapinggan. But first, we had lunch at a Sundanese style restaurant. Our simple but delicious menu consisted of roasted chicken, three kinds of sambal , steaming white rice and lots of fresh, raw vegetables. This lunch was much needed, because after that we had to go up another a hill, which was just a few meters behind the restaurant. The going up was quite steep, but fortunately not too high. And the view of the Ciputrapinggan viaduct once we got to the top of the hill was simply breathtaking.

We decided that we had to go down and have a closer look at the viaduct, and also go to the beach which looked so inviting.

We started the second day rather early by watching the sun rise at the beach just in front of our hotel at Batukaras Cove, followed by a swim in the sea before breakfast. The evening before, we had a hearty dinner of different kinds of fish at a beach side restaurant. Batukaras reminded me of Bali in the 1970s. It is still relatively quite, with only three small hotels, mainly catering to surfers. Our hotel was very basic, with no air-conditioning and no television (who needs it, anyway, in such a place), but clean and very comfortable.

After a leisurely breakfast, we prepared ourselves for the second day tour. The second day was not as dedicated to railways as the first day. The only railway related sites were the two stations, Cijulang Station (the end of the line) and Pangandaran Station. Cijulang Station is still the original 1921 structure, while Pangandaran Station is a newer one dating from 1948. Earlier, we took a boat cruise along Cukang Taneuh, or ‘Green Canyon’, a river gorge surrounded by luxurious vegetation and strange rock formations. And at the end of the day before returning to Banjar, we made a short stop at the popular Pangandaran Beach.

JakartaKota Station (formerly Batavia Benedenstad) a.k.a Beos

2009-06-16T22:38:00.029+07:00

The JakartaKota/Batavia Benedenstad station was officially opened on 8 October 1929. This twelve platform station, at that time hailed as the 'the largest and most beautiful station in Netherlands India', was designed by Asselberghs, Ghijsels, and Hes of the Algemeen Ingenieurs-en Architectenbureau (AIA). It replaced an older station of the Bataviasche Oosterspoorweg Maatschappij (BO.S), which is why even today it is still affectionatelly called 'Beos' (bay-yoss) by Jakartans.

Semarang City Tram

2009-06-16T22:09:00.013+07:00

Jomblang tram halt, Semarang

The first Indonesian city to have an urban tram system was Batavia (now called Jakarta). On 20 April 1869 the first horse drawn tram started to run between Amsterdamsche Poort and Harmonie via Molenvliet. The carriages, operated by the Bataviasche Tramway-Maatschappij (BTM) on the unusual rail gauge of 1188 mm, were built in France by Bonnefond, Ivry. In 1869 the line was extended from Harmonie to Tanah Abang and to Meester Cornelis.

Horse drawn tram, Batavia

The use of horses as motive power proofed unsuitable in the hot tropical climate of Jakarta. In a given year more than 500 horses had to be replaced; therefore, it was urgently felt that a more reliable motive power had to be found. In 1881 the Nederlandsch-Indische Tramweg-Maatschappij (NITM) was established. NITM took over the lines formerly operated by BTM, and upgraded it into a steam tram system.

A NITM steam tram

The second city in Indonesia to have an urban tram system was Semarang, while Surabaya followed later in 1889. The Surabaya urban tram was operated by the Oost-Java Stoomtram Maatschappij (OSJ) which together with the Samarang-Joana Stoomtram Maatschappij (SJS), the Semarang-Cheribon Stoomtram Maatschappij (SCS) and Serajoedal Stoomtram Maatschappij (SDS - that served the Maos – Purwokerto – Wonosobo route) formed what was known as De Zustermaatschappijen (“the Sister Companies”). De Zustermaatschappijen had a joint office building in Semarang which now houses the Semarang regional office of PTKA (the Indonesian Railway Company).

A SJS city tram, passing the famous Nederlandsch-Indische Spoorweeg Maatschappij head office in Semarang (left)

In Semarang, besides developing the line to Juwana (and later extended to Blora and Cepu), the Samarang – Joana Stoomtram Maatschappij (SJS) also constructed an urban tram system between 1882-1883. Unlike Jakarta, the gauge used in Semarang was 1067 mm. This system comprised of four lines, all starting from its main station at Jurnatan: Jurnatan-Jomblang, Jurnatan-Bulu, Jurnatan-Samarang NIS station and Jurnatan-Semarang Port.

In his book “Riwayat Semarang” Liem Thian Joe wrote that when the Jurnatan-Jomblang line was built, the area along the tracks were still sparsely populated. It passed open fields as well as wooded areas, though it is now one of the densest and most heavily built up area of Semarang. Liem also wrote that amongst the Javanese and Chinese populace at that time there was a rumour that children were needed for offerings in the construction of the tramway. Therefore, parents would forbid their children to go outside, especially after dark, in fear that they would be kidnapped and offered to the spirit of the tracks.

In 1923 the Surabaya tram system was partly electrified. The Batavia system had been electrified much earlier in 1889. Semarang, however, lagged behind. Though plans for the electrification of the system had already been made since 1921, it was never realised. In fact, the tram service in Semarang was completely stopped in 1940, despite widespread protests. The reason given was that the city had to cut back on expenses.

Most of the tram engines were relocated to Surabaya, where besides electric trams, steam trams were still running on the Wonokromo-Ujung line. The steam trams of Surabaya survived till the early 1980s. Not surprisingly, a former Semarang steam tram engine, B1239 (SJS 54) can now be found preserved in front of the Pasar Turi station in Surabaya. Ironically, in Semarang nothing remains of its former urban tram system.

Kereta Api to start Priok rail line revamp

2009-04-14T06:54:00.008+07:00

After halting passenger service in 2000, the Tanjung Priok Station in North Jakarta will start revamping its tracks by mid March and partially reopen the station for passengers by May.

“We will start renovating the 9 kilometers of track to Jakarta’s Kota Station and the 8 km of track to Kemayoran Station by mid March,” said Akhmad Sujadi Jakarta spokesperson for state-owned railroad PT Kereta Api.

Akhmad told The Jakarta Post on Saturday the company would also repair 12 broken bridges along those same routes, renovate electrical connections, and upgrade the currently mechanical signaling system into an electrical one.

“The revamps are scheduled to partially finish in May, when we will reopen the passenger service by using the revamped tracks connecting Tanjung Priok to the Kota and Kemayoran stations,” Akhmad said.

The Tanjung Priok Station will officially re-open May 20.

“By the end of this year, the Tanjung Priok station restoration will be fully completed and fully effective for passenger services,” said Akhmad.

In 2000, Tanjung Priok discontinued its passenger services to three destinations: Surakarta and Sematrang in Central Java and Surabaya in East Java.

Two years later, the station also ended the only remaining passenger service to Kota Station in West Jakarta. Kereta Api’s decision to stop passenger service was due to the low number of passengers using the service there. It decided to focus on more popular routes.

With the halt in passenger service the station continued to service only freight trans bound for Bandung in West Java and Surabaya in East Java.

“The freight trains usually run between 7 p.m. and 4 a.m.,” said Suparno, a 28-year veteran employee at the Tanjung Priok Station, when the Post visited the station on a quiet Saturday.

The 3,768-square-meter white-walled building was built between 1917 and 1921 in a Dutch colonial style with high ceilings. It stands in a 46,930-square meter site nearby the hubbub of people and buses traveling via the facing Tanjung Priok port.

The station has been glossed up with a recent renovation, with newly painted walls, and new floor tiling.

The restoration will ultimately cost some Rp 9 billion out of a total Rp 60 billion (US$64.5 million) of state funds allocated for the station renovation. The reopening of the Tanjung Priok-Kota railway line is expected to help meet the growing public demand for mass rapid transit in the city.

The renovation is about 75 percent complete. “We still have to fix the broken roof tiles, though. You see, when it rains, parts of the floor are all wet,” Suparno said.

To support the target of reopening the station by May, the station is also preparing to evict squatters currently still living and doing business inside the station area. “We will have another eviction on March 15,” said Suparno.

He added that in December last year, the squatters had been cleared out, but some have already begun to reestablish their trading space.

Some 5,000 makeshift dwellings were cleared out in November last year along the Tanjung Priok-Kota. Tarsono, 50 something, who has been living and making a small income from his makeshift food stall on the station platform for 10 years, said he has now moved his stall next to the station fence, near the platform.

When asked if he planned to go back to his hometown of Brebes in Central Java after the next eviction, Tarsono said, “I hope I can still have my stall in the station. If not, I’ll look for another strategic spot.”

Tanjung Priok Station is planned to complete the current port hub by coordinating its services with the bus terminal, a planned Transjakarta shelter and the Tanjung Priok port, all of which are located a stone’s-throw away from each other.

This year, the administration has also allocated Rp 6.3 billion to renovate 20 bus terminals around the capital, including the Tanjung Priok bus terminal.

Agnes Winarti , THE JAKARTA POST, JAKARTA Mon, 03/02/2009 10:46 AM City

Lawang Sewu will no longer be a haunted, sad place

2009-03-31T09:20:00.024+07:00

Recently, the daily newspaper "The Jakarta Post" published an article "Lawang Sewu, a haunted, sad place." Now, after years of neglect and uncertainty, the former Nederlandsch-Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij (Netherlands Indies Railway Company, or NIS) head office is being restored by the Indonesian Railway Company (PTKA) Regional Office in Semarang. When this building was completed in 1907 it was a very modern building. The architects, J.F. Klinkhamer and B.J. Ouëndag, made a careful study of Semarang’s climatic condition. As a result, they came up with a design which is dominated by galleries (inspired by the front and rear galleries [voor- en achter galerijen] of Indies style houses) and louvered doors (in fact, many of them).

This is why the people of Semarang affectionately gave the building the nickname “Lawang Sewu” (“The Thousand Doors” in Javanese). Recently, however, the building is more known as a haunted place. This, no doubt, recalls the time when it was used as a place of interrogation by the infamous Kempetai, and when Lawang Sewu was witness to the fierce battle in October 1945 between Semarang’s youth and the defeated Japanese forces. Now, tours are conducted to visit the building’s basement where tiny, half submerged cells were used in those days to torture prisoners. The guides of this tour will tell colourful ghost tales.

After Indonesia’s independence Lawang Sewu was taken over by the Army, and used as one of its headquarters. But in the early 1990s it was returned to PTKA. It served briefly as the office of the provincial Transportation Department, but then was virtually abandoned. Various plans, among them to turn it into a de luxe hotel, appeared and disappeared but nothing really happened. Finally, the City of Semarang threatened to take over the building. In their view, in its dilapidated state it had started to become an eyesore as it commands a very prominent place in the city. It faces one of Semarang’s main squares and is located just across the governor’s mansion.

In a not too subtle power game, PTKA responded by quietly placing a steam engine, C2301, a 0-6-0 1907 Hartmann tank engine that used to be stored (derelict) at the Ambarawa Railway Museum, right in front of Lawang Sewu. C2301 was originally the Netherlands Indies Railway Company's NIS263.

C2301 at Ambarawa (Photo: Nick Bryant)

Now, work is still going on to renovate the building. It is planned that the PTKA Semarang Regional Office will move into the building in May 2009. It will occupy most of the upper level, while the ground floor will be used for a ticket reservation office and some upscale shops and restaurants. The Indonesia Railway Preservation Society (IRPS) has also been offered a place in the building, on the condition that it will open a small exhibition and library dedicated to the history on Indonesian railways which the general public can access.

The famous stained glass windows

Discussion: Samarang NIS, Indonesia's first railway station?

2009-03-09T10:10:00.004+07:00

A discussion on the location of Indonesia's first railway station will take place on Wednesday, 18 March 2009, 09.00 - 11. 00, at the Thomas Aquinas Building, Soegijapranata Catholic University Campus, Jalan Pawiyatan Luhur, Bendan Duwur, Semarang. The speakers are Karyadi Baskoro (Indonesian Railway Preservation Society) and A. Kriswandhono (architect-archeologist). Free admittance.

Samarang NIS: traces of Indonesia's first railway station found

2009-02-15T22:06:00.013+07:00

There is no dispute that the first railway line in Indonesia was built between Semarang and Tanggung by the Nederlandsch_Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij (NIS). However, the exact location of Semarang’s first station is still subject to controversy. The official view of PTKA (Indonesian Railway Company) is that the first station was located in Kemi(d)jen, and was even called Kemidjen Station.

Kemidjen Station in the railway company’s official history book.

Other sources, such as Rietsma (1925), Liem (1933), Oegema (1982), van Ballegooien de Jong, (1993) de Bruin (2003), however, make no references of Kemi(d)jen. They all say that the first railway line was between Semarang (Samarang) and Tanggung (Tangoeng). Liem adds that the first NIS station was located near the port, in an area called Tambaksari.

The use of the spelling Samarang was common till the 1880s. Thus, it is very likely that the first station in Semarang would also be called Samarang Station.

The 1866 map of Semarang shows that there was only one station complex and railway network, that of the NIS. It was located in the area that later would be called Tambaksari. The main station building is located at the end of Spoorlaan, now called Jalan Ronggowarsito.

In 1914 a new NIS station was opened. Later this station would be named Samarang Tawang NIS, to distinguish it from the Samarang NIS. The construction of this new station was in response to the increasing activities of the NIS. To connect Tawang Station with the NIS mainline, however, part of Samarang NIS Station had to be pulled down. Nevertheless, the other buildings at Samarang NIS Station were still intact, including the locomotive shed, works and goods station. Its name was changed to Samarang Goederenstation. Later, this would become Stasiun Semarang Gudang.

Later, however, the area has increasingly been subject to flooding. Semarang Gudang was abandoned and the former Samarang NIS building was gradually forgotten. Most people believed that it had completely disappeared; anything left of it would be underwater.

A team from the Indonesian Railway Preservation Societ Semarang seeked to find out where the former Samarang NIS Station is situated today. The search was initially conducted by studying available references. Amongst the most important sources are:

· Publication on Indonesian railways (de Bruin, 2003., de Jong, 1993., Durrant, 1972. Oegema, 1982. TBN, 1997)
· Maps in the collection of the Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen (KIT, 2009)
· Photographs in the collection of the Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde (KITLV, 2009)
· Satellite images, Google Earth Pro 4.2 application programme (Google, 2009)

In January 2009, with the help of a GPS device our team set out to find the station’s location. We did not expect to find anything significant, but when we finally found the position in the middle of a dense slum, we saw there some object that looked familiar to use. We hurriedly consulted the old picture we had, and to our great surprise they were exactly like those shown in the picture.

It seems that we have found the traces of Indonesia’s first railway station.

And what about Kemi(d)jen? In 1938 the name Kemidjen first appeared on a map of Semarang, at the area formerly known as Tawangmintreng. This area was about midway in Spoorlaan, south of Samarang NIS Station. Later a halt was built here on the Semarang Joana Stoomtram (SJS) Semarang – Demak line. It is highly likely that this halt was the one that came to be called Kemidjen, but on a 1935 map there is still no building shown, therefore the station/ halt was most probably built between 1935 and1938. In any case, it could not possibly be the first station in Indonesia.

IRPS Semarang has prepared a report of this finding (in Indonesian and in English). This report will be presented in a seminar planned to be jointly organised with PTKA.

BB 30024 keeps flooded tracks open

2009-02-11T13:23:00.023+07:00

It started only as a drizzle on Saturday (7 February 2009) evening, but later in the night it turned into a raging rainstorm. By Sunday morning the city was paralysed as floodwater inundated many parts of the city. The water level in some parts reached 150 centimetres. The airport was closed for all flights and the main roads into Semarang were under 50 centimetres of water.

One of the worst hit areas was Tawang Station, Semarang’s main railway station. The tracks were inaccessible, forcing the total closure of the entire northern coast railway line. Trains between Jakarta – Surabaya v.v. had to take the longer southern route - through Solo – muddling up the timetable. By 19.00 on Sunday, however, the line was reopened. This was possible thanks to a plucky little veteran, BB 30024. This shunter plied back and forth between Poncol Station, passing through Tawang Station, and Alastuwa Station in the eastern edge of Semarang, pulling all kinds of passenger and goods trains. At both Poncol and Alastuwa the regular diesel-electric engines were waiting for BB 30024 to bring their trains, which they would take to their respective destinations. Because of the low position of their traction motors (only 10 centimeters above the track head), it was impossible for the diesel-electrics to pass the flooded tracks without risking short circuiting their electric motors.

BB 30024 nicknamed “Yuyu Kangkang” by the railway staff because of its high motor position. Yuyu Kangkang is the name of a giant crab in Javanese mythology.

This Krupp engine came into service in 1959, one of the Indonesian Railway Company’s first diesel-hydraulic locomotives. In total there were thirty engines of this series in the service of the Indonesian Railway Company. In its prime this engine could travel at a maximum speed of 75 kilometres per hour, but this time, travelling along flooded tracks pulling heavy trains, it could barely reach 20 kilometres per hour. But for two days, Sunday and Monday, it unfailingly carried out its duty.

Three CC 203 engines and a container train waiting at Alastuwa Station under a grey sky.

Departure of a passenger train

Alastuwa Station was unusually busy on Monday. This small station, which most trains usually just passed, was the scene of much shunting, arrivals and departures, and couplings and de-couplings. Stationmaster Ruslan and his staff had been on full duty since Saturday night and were expecting not to be able to go home till Tuesday morning. Yet, he was still as hospitable as ever, making us each a glass of hot kopi tubruk.

Stationmaster Ruslan (left, in uniform) and staff

PT KA set to revive Padang-Sawahlunto railway line

2009-01-30T14:04:00.004+07:00

Syofiardi Bachyul Jb , THE JAKARTA POST , PADANG Fri, 01/16/2009 The Archipelago

State railway company PT Kereta Api will soon operate an excursion train serving Padang city to Sawahlunto in West Sumatra, passing through six regencies and offering beautiful sights along the 150-kilometer railway line.

KA West Sumatra Regional Division spokesman Syafrial Romeo said the train service was slated to be launched in February with package tours but no regular service. It is expected to serve domestic and foreign tourists in groups.

"We are still waiting for West Sumatra Governor Gamawan Fauzi to discuss the plan with the heads of regencies," he said Tuesday.

The train service is scheduled to leave the Simpang Haru station in Padang and travel by tourist sites such as the Lembah Anai valley and its waterfall, across a 101-meter long and 19-meter high bridge, and 19-kilometer around Lake Singkarak.

One of the line's unique features is a 33.8-kilometer cog railway track in Lembah Anai, purported to be one of only two in the world.

"A special locomotive is needed to pass along the cog, or rack railway, and for that we will operate the BB204 diesel locomotive," said Syafrial.

KA will also revive the Sawahlunto-Muaro Kalaban short route by operating the E1060 steam locomotive which was returned last month from Ambarawa, Central Java. Only five units of the vintage E1060 locomotive were made in Germany, specially for the route.

On Thursday, the regional division head, Husein Nurroni said that in addition to the Padang-Sawah-lunto route, the company also plans to open short routes to Muara Kalaban, Silungkang and Singkarak Lake using the diesel locomotive.

He also said Vice President Jusuf Kalla is expected to officially open the tourism routes late January or early February.

Syafrial said KA had completed repairs on the Padang-Sawahlunto line using Rp 6.7 billion (US$600,000) of funds provided by the Transportation Ministry and Rp 500 million from the provincial budget, much of which was used to restore bridges and railway sleepers.

The Teluk Bayur-Padang-Sawah-lunto railway line was constructed by the Dutch colonial administration in 1881 to transport coal from Sawahlunto to the Teluk Bayur Port. The line stopped serving passengers in 1980 and coal consignments were halted in 2003.

The West Sumatra provincial administration and a number of municipalities and regencies along the length of the line, as well as KA, are committed to reviving the train service for tourism. The idea of reviving the train service was spearheaded by the West Sumatra Train Lovers Community and aficionados of Mak Itam, literally meaning black uncle (a term coined for steam locomotive in Minangkabau language).

Source URL: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/01/16/pt-ka-set-revive-padangsawahlunto-railway-line.html

Bojonegoro Collision

2009-01-26T08:27:00.004+07:00

Trains collide head on in Bojonegoro, 2 dead, 3 injured

The Jakarta Post (Fri, 01/23/2009)

A passenger train traveling at high speed collided head-on with a freight train at Kapas Station in Bojonegoro, East Java, on Friday afternoon, killing two crew men and injuring three other people.

The freight train conductor Sarjan and his assistant Agus were both killed. The passenger train conductor Harjo Suwito was one of the injured along with two other victims who have not yet been identified.

The victims were taken to Sosodoro Jatikusumo Hospital.

Investigators from the Bojonegoro police and railway officials said they suspected the accident was caused by a failure in the tracking-switching mechanism which put both trains on the same track heading towards each other. They said, however, more time was needed to verify that assumption. (and)

Train locomotive engineer likely to have ignored signs: police

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta (01/25/2009)

The police reported Sunday that human error had been a factor in a train collision that left two dead and dozens injured in Bojonegoro, East Java, on Friday.

Preliminary investigation by the Bojonegoro police indicated that a train locomotive engineer had ignored traffic signal.

Bojonegoro police chief Agus Hidayat said the police were still gathering statements from witnesses to the incident to determine the causes of the crash but had yet to name suspects.

"The police will start to name names as soon as all witnesses have undergone questioning," Hidayat said, as quoted by Antara newswire.

"Give it two or three days and we will disclose the suspect that had caused the train collision," he added.

Meanwhile Antara reported that local resident Kentinah, 37, had claimed to have seen the locomotive engineer of passenger train Rajawali disregarding a red stop sign located next to the railway tracks.

The Semarang bound Rajawali train was reportedly travelling at high speed when it switched lanes and collided head-on with cargo train Antabogo, killing two crew members of the cargo train.

Source URL: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/01/23/trains-collide-head-bojonegoro-2-dead-3-injured.html

C1412 update

2009-01-13T21:33:00.009+07:00

C1412 is now back to its former (albeit only static) glory.

And they have even installed floodlights to light it up at night

IRPS Cepu Forestry Railway Tour

2009-01-10T15:48:00.037+07:00

On 28 December 2008 the Indonesian Railways Preservation Society (IRPS) organised an excursion at the Cepu Forestry Railways. About 60 IRPS members, plus around 20 non-members, took part on this four hours trip. The 30 kilometer track from Cepu to the teakwood forest memorial at Gubug Payung is part of the Indonesian State Forestry Company’s 1067 mm Cape gauge rail network in the area, built in 1915. Most of the network, however, has been closed, and only a few sections, such as the Cepu-Gubug Payung line, remain.

Route of the Cepu Forestry Railway

Teakwood (Tectona grandis L.f.) is not a native of Indonesia, but this high quality wood was already known in Java since the 14th century. Teakwood forests are mainly found along Java’s north coast. The best teakwood in the world are those grown in the hills of Cepu, Central Java. From pre-colonial days this area has supplied timber for the ship making industries of Tegal, Juana, Jepara, Rembang, Lasem and Tuban.

By the end of the 19th century the Dutch colonial government had greatly intensified the exploitation of the teakwood forests. The local people who used to freely collect wood from the forests were not allowed to enter. The people protest took the form of movements such as that founded by Samin Surosentiko in Blora (near Cepu). Saminism has evolved into a moral teaching, stressing non-violence, truth and honesty.

It is not known how many locomotives have served on the Cepu forestry line. What is left now are three Berliner Maschinebau-Actien-Gesellschaft (BMAG) engines, two Du Croo and Brauns engines and a Ruston and Hornsby Diesel engine. There is also a former Indonesian Railway Company (PTKA) engine, C2902.

”Bahagia”, one of the three identical 0-10-0T BMAGs.

One of the delightful DuCroo & Brauns

It has been several years since these engines have been used for real logging activities. Following the fall of the Suharto government in 1998, widespread illegal logging has taken place and now the Forestry Company is trying to rehabilitate the teak forests. Now, the steam engines are solely used to haul chartered tourist trains (which are not very often and far in between). The IRPS tour did not attempt to be "authentic", in the sense of recreating the logging trains of the past and, therefore, no log wagons were attached to the engine. Considering that December is in the rainy season, and that not all passengers were hard-core railway enthusiasts it was decided to attach three passenger coaches instead.

This is how a real logging train looks like (photo: Rob Dickinson)

The train was just a passenger train hauled by a steam locomotive traveling through a teakwood forest. A bit boring, actually, for the fanatic enthusiasts. But, because it was not possible to take water anymore midway, the train took two tank wagons instead of the usual one, which proved to be a blessing. These wagons were fully occupied by the hard-liners, while the coaches were half empty.

Here at Pancuran Bregojo the engines used to take water. Now they stop only to transfer wood.

The Cepu Forestry Railway is now also facing a staff crisis. Sudiran (driver) and Asmadi (fireman) will both retire within a year, and there are no people prepared to replace them.

Driver Sudiran (above) and fireman Asmadi (below, with my son Nandi)

Malaysian-Singaporean Interlude: The Senandung Malam Ekspres to Singapore

2008-11-28T15:33:00.068+07:00

For me the best way to travel from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore (but not the other way around. Why? you'll know when you have finished reading this post) is by rail on the overnight sleeper train “Senandung Malam” (“Song of the Night”). I think that this is the most comfortable and cost effective alternative. In addition, it is much more environmentally friendly than flying.

In the days of the North Star Night Express, forerunner of the Senandung Malam (described in Paul Theroux’s “The Great Railway Bazaar”), such a journey would start at the magnificent Mughal style old Kuala Lumpur Station. The station, as well as the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) headquarters opposite it, was designed by AB Hubback, a colonial Public Works employee who had served earlier in India.

Drawing of a steam train at the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station. This drawing was made by a Kuala Lumpur street painter based in front of the National Mosque.

But today this marvelous building is only used for commuter and suburban traffic (plus a heritage hotel and office of the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Fans Club). Since 2001, all mainline activities have moved to the modern KL Sentral Station .

Boarding the Senandung Malam at KL Sentral

Second Class Sleeper lower and upper berth

The Second Class Sleeper aisle

First Class Sleeper corridor

First Class Sleeper compartment

In both First Class and Second Class Sleepers passenger are provided with berths, complete with crisp white linens and blankets. The difference is that in First Class the berths are in compartments of twos, each compartment having their own toilet facilities, giving passengers more privacy. Still, if I'm traveling alone I would prefer the Second Class Sleeper, because, besides being cheaper than First Class Sleeper, it actually gives you more privacy. Once the curtains are drawn you have your berth completely for yourself. In a First Class Sleeper, you still would have to share the compartment with somebody else (except if you have booked the compartment for yourself, for which, of course, you would have to pay even more). Third Class on the Senandung Malam consist of reclining seats, not unlike the Kelas Eksekutif of Indonesia's PTKA trains. It is an irony that there are no sleeper cars in Indonesia anymore, though when it was introduced in the 1930's the Staatsspoorwegen (SS) Nacht-Expres (Night Express) was the first train to provide such a service in the southern hemisphere. The standard of service of the Nacht-Expres is said to rival that of Germany's "Mitropa."

Crossing the Causeway. If I'm not mistaken, the pipes in the foreground carry precious Malaysian fresh water for Singapore. Water supply and the status of the railways are sensitive issuses in the relationship between Malaysia and Singapore

At dawn, after on-board passport checks by the Malaysian immigration, the train crosses the Causeway connecting Malaysia and Singapore. A few minutes later the train will stop at Woodlands checkpoint for the Singaporean immigration formalities.

Woodlands Checkpoint

The only unpleasant part of the otherwise pleasant trip is the formalities at Woodlands Checkpoint. Here all passengers have to get off the train carrying all their luggage (nothing should be left behind), pass through immigration and board the train again. The train than continues its journey to its final destination, Singapore Station at the southern tip of the island. Oddly, if you are leaving Singapore you don't have to carry your luggage, just your travel documents.

Singapore Station yard with some rolling stocks of the KTMB

The status of Singapore Station has caused tension between Malaysia and Singapore. Singapore thinks that this valuable piece of land should be developed for more economically profitable use. Malaysia, on the other hand sees the station as Malaysian territory. A few years ago there was a large sign proclaiming “Welcome to Malaysia” in front of the station. The Singaporeans considered this insulting and demanded that it be removed, which eventually the Malaysians reluctantly did.

Because of this “railway dispute,” to travel by train from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur will cost more than two times the cost of travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, also by train. The reason is that the price of tickets bought in Singapore must be paid for in Singapore Dollars, but at the Malaysian Ringgit amount. So for a Senandung Malam lower berth 2nd Class Sleeper ticket which costs 43 Ringgits on the KL-Singapore train, one would have to pay 43 Singapore Dollars for the Singapore - KL train. To avoid paying in Singapore Dollars some people have taken the local transport to Johor Bahru just across of the causeway from Singapore Island and start their journey from there.

From this case, as well as the Woodlands case, I suspect that Singapore is trying to make the train travel as unpleasant as possible, so that eventually KTMB will have to close the line due to lack of passengers. Then, Singapore can take over and develop the station and its grounds.

A Second Class Sleeper carriage at the Singapore Station platform. The small windows are for the upper berths

Central Hall, Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, Singapore

Façade, Tanjong Pagar Station, Singapore

The Tanjong Pagar or Keppel Railway Station was officially opened in 1932 after three years of construction by the Federated Malay States Railways (FMSR). The design was influenced by Eliel Saarinen's Helsinki Station, Finland. The façade has four heroic figures representing Commerce, Agriculture, Industry and Shipping. Above each of the figures can be seen the letters F, M, S, and R respectively.

PS: Following an agreement between Malaysia and Singapore, on July 1, 2011 Tanjong Pagar Station was closed. All trains traveling between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur will now start and terminate their journeys at Woodlands.

http://thelongnwindingroad.wordpress.com/2011/05/24/a-final-look-at-tanjong-pagar-station/

http://www.theasiamag.com/places/a-tearful-farewell-to-romance

Trains and Princes

2008-11-24T11:51:00.074+07:00

By the end of the 18th century, the once mighty Mataram Mataram Empire that used to rule nearly the whole of Java has been reduced to four small splinter principalities in the interior of Central Java: Surakarta, Yogyakarta, Mangkunagaran and Pakualaman. This area, however, was one of the most fertile areas in Netherlands India, and many plantations were established in the area, producing sugar cane, coffee, tobacco, indigo and other products that were mainly for export. Therefore, when it was decided to build a railway in Netherlands India, the first concession given was for a line connecting the vorstenlanden (principalities, lit: 'princely states') and the port of Semarang on the north coast.

Four Javanese rulers under one roof, from left to right: Mangkunagara VII, Ratu Emas (consort of Pakubuwana X), Hamengkubuwana VIII of Yogyakarta, Pakubuwana X of Surakarta, the Governor of Surakarta, a sister of Hamengkubuwana VIII, Sekar Kedaton (daughter of Pakubuwana X) and Pakualam VII. The distances of the Mangkunagara and the Pakualam from the main group is to emphasis the junior position of the two.

The princes played an important role in the development of the railways. The railway companies were given permission to build their tracks and stations on their territories. Later, the princes would be regular passengers on the Indies trains, and the stations would be scenes of royal departures and official arrivals.

Pakubuwana X and the Governor of Surakarta waiting for Governor-General BC de Jonge to alight from his carriage at Balapan station, Surakarta (Solo), 1931.

Hamengkubuwana VIII, waving black kepi, Mangkunagara VII (second from right) and Pakualam VII (third from right), at Tugu station, Yogyakarta (1939)

Mangkunagara VII (in white uniform) and his consort Ratu Timur at Gambir station, Batavia.

Their favourite train was the Eendagsche Expres (One-Day Express), the luxurious trains that covered the distance between Batavia (Jakarta) and Surabaya (via Yogya and Solo) in 11 hours 30 minutes.

The first Eendagsche Expres leaving Batavia Weltevreden station amid a spectacular display of smoke and steam, 1 December 1929. The train is headed by one of the controversial Pacific engines of the 1000 series built by Werkspoor, Amsterdam. Despite their sleek and speedy lines, the performance of these engines proved rather disappointing.

Interior of the Eendagsche Expres first class carriage.

But Pakubuwana X, who reigned in magnificent, albeit impotent splendour, had his own royal saloon. Another ruler who had his own royal carriage was the Sultan of Deli in East Sumatera. The Sultan even had a halt built directly in front of his palace in Medan to make it easier for him to board and step-off the Deli royal saloon

The saloon of Pakubuwana X, now kept in a pavilion in the Surakarta Kraton (palace). It could run on both Stephenson gauge (1435 mm) and Cape gauge (1067mm) tracks.

Festivities at the Sultan's palace grounds in Medan. In the foreground can be seen the siding and the Sultan's gazebo.

The Mangkunagara was a bit more modest with his 750 mm gauge four-wheeler carriage used to inspect his sugar factory at Tasikmadu.

The Mangkunagara's 750 mm gauge rail coach, Tasikmadu

C1412 on plinth in Semarang

2008-11-19T19:45:00.039+07:00

What secret is hidden behind the tarpaulin at PTKA's office in Semarang?

It's C1412!

Workers applying a fresh coat of paint

Offering of flowers and cigarettes for the guardian spirit of C1412

I was not aware that C1412 had been moved to the PTKA office in Semarang until Mr Albert Pelupessy, a visitor to this blog sent me a message on 18 November 2008. By that time C1412 was already a week in Semarang. Mr Pelupessy is the contractor appointed by PTKA to move and restore C1214. He is also a steam enthusiast. I met him, quite by accident, when I visited the PTKA office - where he was supervising the restoration work - on the afternoon of November 19, 2008.

C1412 in Ambarawa (2008)

(photo: Nick Bryant)

C1412 in Ambarawa (2001)

C1412 was Serajoedal Stoomtram Maatschappij (SDS) engine number 12. Between 1895 and 1910 SDS ordered fourteen of these 0-6-0 tank engines from Beyer Peacock, Manchester. C1412 itself entered into service in 1909. These engines were mainly used to haul freight trains on the SDS line connecting Maos and Wonosobo, along the valley of the Serayu river between the Slamet, Sumbing and Sindoro volcanoes in Central Java. Unfortunately, this scenic route has long been closed. I think it is quite appropriate that C1412 is now adorning the PTKA office in Semarang, as the building used to be the joint office of the Samarang-Joana Stoomtram Mij (SJS), Semarang-Cheribon Stoomtram Mij (SCS), Serajoedal Stoomtram Mij (SDS) and Oost-Java Stoomtram Mij (OJS). Engines of the same series, C1411 and C1414, are preserved at the railway office in Purwokerto and Tegal works, respectively.

SDS 2, a class mate of SDS 12 (C1412) heading a frieght train posing on a viaduct

Manufacturer's photograph of SDS 1, another classmate, with skirt and curtain

C1412 on 12 December 2008

Station Signage: Indonesia and elsewhere

2008-11-17T23:24:00.050+07:00

Railway station signage, besides its main function in assisting wayfinding, showing directions, and giving information, is often used to present the corporate identity of the company operating the railways. Therefore, the logo of the company is often incorporated in the signage design.

INDIA

Perhaps because Indian Railways (IR) is a state owned monopoly, there is no urgency to show its identity on its stations. It is taken for granted that anything having to do with railways is IR.

CHINA

(photo: Hotmauli Sidabalok)

The same seems to be the case in China. But in most other countries the identity of the railway company is prominently displayed.

BRITAIN

THE NETHERLANDS

MALAYSIA

But in INDONESIA, instead of the identity of PTKA (Indonesian Railway Company), the station signage is dominated by a cigarette advertisement.

We should not be surprised if someone not familiar with the Indonesian railway situation thinks that the railway company here is "Pria Punya Selera" instead of PT Kereta Api Persero (PTKA). "Pria punya selera" is the tagline of a leading Indonesian cigarette brand ad.

I would be grateful if anyone can tell me about other "unusual" station signanges.

Steam coming back to Tuntang

2008-11-08T20:16:00.037+07:00

Steam will soon come back to the Ambarawa - Tuntang railway line. The KOMPAS Daily reported that the track along the Rawapening Lake is being improved. Suhardjono, the Ambarawa station master, told the newspaper that 800 crossties (albeit vintage, not new ones) have been installed. Work is also being done to repair the track bed. More work, however, still needs to be done, such as the much needed repair of some of the bridges and culverts. But Suhardjono is optimistic that before the end of 2009 the track would be ready for steam service.

The "new" crossties at Ambarawa Station in July 2008. Now they are already in place.

(photo: Deddy Herlambang)

But, a number of bridges and culverts will need major repair work before any steam train can pass.

The beautiful view along the railway is one of its main assets and attractions. The preservation of the the Ambarawa - Tuntang line should include control of development along the track to prevent it from destroying the view. This, of course, applies for Ambarawa - Bedono as well.

Meanwhile, the only way to go to Tuntang by rail (hopefully for the time being) is on this lorry.

Though there was no mention of C1218 in the article, it is expected that this locomotive will haul the Tuntang train. Here, it is being washed by the shed staff.

I hope this means that C1218 will not be moved to Solo (as has been reported a few months earlier by the same newspaper)

An evening at Alastuwa station (22.00 - 01.00)

2008-11-03T21:01:00.033+07:00

My friend Yosanto Bakhtiar, the Treasurer of the Indonesian Railway Preservation Society (IRPS) Semarang asked me to go with him to Alastuwa, a small station at the east edge of Semarang, on Friday 30 October in the evening. He had promised the station master, who was on night duty that evening, to give him some pictures of steam engines for the station.

Allas Toewa (Alastuwa) 1867

Alastuwa 1990

Alastuwa is one of the oldest stations in Indonesia. It is on Indonesia's first railway line built between Semarang and Tanggung. The present station building, however, is not the original one built in 1867.

Soon after we arrived at about 22.00 it started to rain very hard. We came by motorbike so we had to wait for the rain to stop till about 01.00 in the morning. But actually we had a good time because the station was very busy at that time. According to the station master between 09.00 and 06.00 the next morning sixteen passenger trains plus a number of freight trains pass through the station. Most of them don’t stop, except when they have to pass each other on this single track line. Still, each time the station master would have to put on his red cap and watch the train pass by.

Trains thundering past Alastuwa in the middle of the night

Above the station master is a picture of steam engines, a present from IRPS Semarang

The station master taking a break from his busy routine. He made us each a big glass of hot "kopi tubruk" served with some roasted peanuts; just what we needed in the damp rainy night.

E1060 is going home

2008-10-26T20:46:00.040+07:00

On 3 December 2008 E1060 left Ambarawa

One of the of the four locomotives preserved in working order at the Ambarawa Railway Museum, the E1060, will soon return home. This rack and pinion engine was brought to Ambarawa in 1981 from West Sumatera. There it played an important role in transporting coal mined around Sawahlunto to Emmahaven (Teluk Bayur port). E1060, which was built in 1966 by Esslingen, Germany, and other engines in the series, however, had a relatively short working life. Within a couple of years they were displaced by rack Diesel engines.

The regional head of PTKA (the Indonesian Railway company) in Semarang informed the Indonesian Railway Preservation Society (IRPS) Semarang that E1060 is already being prepared to be transported to West Sumatra. The Central Java provincial government has agreed to release E1060 and the governor of West Sumatera and the mayor of Sawahlunto have agreed to share the cost of moving E1060. In West Sumatera E1060 will be put in to service to haul tourist trains and is most likely to be based at the Sawahlunto Railway Museum. This small railway museum was opened in December 2005 at the former Sawahlunto station, which dates from 1918.

One thing, however, is troubling rail enthusiasts in Semarang. It is the question of whether E1060 will be properly cared and maintained in its new home. It has been more than two decades since steam engines stopped operating in West Sumatera and it is doubtful whether there are any people there who have the skills to maintain and operate steam engines. I have been told that two retired Ambarawa dipo staff will be sent to West Sumatera to train people there. But up to now who they actually are remains a mystery. When people at the Ambarawa dipo where asked about this, no one could (or would) give an answer.

E1060 at the Ambarawa Railway Museum (photo: Rob Dickinson)

E1060 pulang kampuang

Satu dari empat lokomotif uap operasional di Museum Kereta Api Ambarawa, E1060, akan segera pulang kampung. Lokomotif bergerigi ini dibawa ke Ambarawa dari Sumatera Barat pada 1981. Di sana lokomotif itu memainkan peran penting dalam mengangkut batu bara dari tambang-tambang di sekitar Sawahlunto ke Emmahaven (pelabuhan Teluk Bayur). Tapi E1060, buatan Esslingen 1966, dan lokomotif lain dari seri yang sama mempunyai masa kerja pendek. Dalam waktu beberapa tahun lokomotif-lokomotif itu digeser oleh lokomotif Diesel.

Kepala Daerah Operasi 4 PT Kereta Api mengatakan pada Indonesian Railway Preservation Society (IRPS) Semarang bahwa E1060 sedang dipersiapkan untuk dibawa ke Sumatera Barat. Pemerintah Provinsi Jawa Tengah telah setuju untuk melepaskan E1060 dan Gubernur Sumatera Barat dan Walikota Sawahlunto sepakat untuk bersama memikul biaya pemindahan E1060. Di Sumatera Barat E1060 akan dipakai untuk menarik kereta api wisata dan diperkirakan akan ditempatkan di Museum Kereta Api Sawahlunto. Museum kecil ini diresmikan pada Desember 2005, menempati bekas Setasiun Sawahlunto yang dibangun pada 1918.

Ada satu hal yang menjadi kekhawatiran para pecinta kereta api di Semarang. Kekhawatiran itu ialah apakah E1060 akan mendapatkan perawatan dan pemeliharaan yang cukup di rumahnya yang baru. Lebih dari dua dasawarsa telah berlalu sejak kereta api uap berhenti beroperasi di Sumatera Barat dan diragukan apakah di sana masih ada orang yang mempunyai ketrampilan memelihara dan mengoperasikan lokomotif uap. Saya mendapat informasi dua pensiunan dipo Ambarawa akan ditempatkan di Sumatera Barat untuk melatih tenaga di sana. Tapi siapa mereka sebenarnya masih merupakan misteri. Ketika hal itu saya tanyakan pada staf dipo Ambarawa tidak ada yang bisa (atau mau) menjawab.

Museum Kereta Api Sawahlunto (Sawahlunto Railway Museum)
Jl. Kampung Teleng
Kelurahan Pasar, Kecamatan Lembah Segar
Kota Sawahlunto, West Sumatera
Telephone/ fax: + 62-754-61023

Semarang Heritage Walk: Railway to the Past

2008-10-26T17:29:00.095+07:00

The first stop was at the railway heritage exhibition at the former "De Locomotief" newspaper building in the Old Town of Semarang. In the colonial era "De Locomotief" was one of - if not the most - progressive newspapers in Netherlands India. It was named "De Locomotief" because locomotives at that time were seen as symbols of progress and modernity.

There were so many people who wanted to join the tour, more than the organisers had expected. Because of the demand, it was decided that instead of limiting the participants to 90, the maximum number would be 160. Three large buses were used to carry the participants. About two-third were university students of history, language and architecture. There were also some exchange students from Brazil sponsored by the local Rotary Club.

Semarang Gudang (formerly Samarang NIS, Semarang's - and Indonesia's - first railway station) is officialy still a station but practically abandoned because of the constant storm and tidewater flooding. The picture above shows the platform under water even though the sky was cloudless.

Samarang NIS terminus in 1867. On the left wing is the passanger platform, on the right wing is the goods station. When the new NIS station in Tawang was finished in 1914 part of this building was knocked down to make way for the tracks to the new station, leaving only the goods wing.

Semarang Gudang locomotive shed still exists, but inside it has been divided into small "apartments" of former PTKA employees. The building's floor and surrounding grounds have been raised to prevent flooding so it now looks considerably shorter than it originally was (see picture below)

(Photo: Basil Roberts)

Semarang Gudang shed in 1971 with C1406, originally SDS 6, in the foreground. This engine was built by Beyer Peacock, Manchester (UK) for the Serajoedal Stoomtram Maatschappij (SDS) in 1896. C1406 has not survived but classmates C1412 is at Ambarawa, while C1414 is on a plinth at Tegal works.

The PTKA (Indonesian Railway Company) Semarang office - formerly the joint office of the four Sister Companies / Zustermaatschappijen (Samarang Joana Stoomtram Maatschappij (SJS), Semarang Cheribon Stoomtram Maatschappij (SCS), Serajoedal Stoomtram Maatschappij (SDS) and the Oost-Java Stoomtram Maatschappij (OJS) - was designed by the influential architect and town planner Thomas Karsten (1885-1945). Karsten is much admired, among other things, for his ability to design buildings which are now considered "environmentally friendly" and "energy saving" long before the terms were even coined. The Sister Company building, built in 1930, is no exception. Here Karsten makes maximum use of natural ventilation and lighting. Karsten, who was married to an Indonesian women, also highly appreciated Indonesian art and culture, and this too is reflected in the design of his buildings.

Old postcard of the Nederlandsch-Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij (NIS) head office, Semarang

The Nederlandsch-Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij (NIS / Netherlands Indian Railway Company) headquarters was the first modern office building built in Semarang. Located at a prominent site, it is one of Semarang's main landmarks. The people call it "Lawang Sewu" (Thousand Doors), referring to its many doors. It was built in 1902 to the design of the architects JF Klinkhamer and BJ Ouendag. During the Japanese occupation its basement was used as a prison, and during the war of independence it was site of violent struggle between Indonesian youths and Japanese forces who had surrendered to the Allies. Unfortunately this beautiful and historically important building is now abandoned and its future uncertain.

The friendly gentleman on the right will guide you on an underground tour through the building's dark and damp basement. Because people think the NIS building is haunted, this is also a kind of a "ghost walk."

Lunch was served at Semarang Restaurant. This restaurant is owned by Jongkie Tio, a recognised authority on the history of Semarang and writter of several books about Semarang. Some samples from his vast collection of photos of old Semarang can be seen in the restaurant. By the way, those seriously enjoying their meals are Tommi (right) who designed the railway heritage exhibition, and was responsible for all the graphic design (banners, posters, T-shirt) as well, and my son Nandi (left).

After lunch we travelled to Ambarawa, about 30 kilometers south of Semarang, to take a trip on the steam train passing through Java's only rack and pinion line. The driver and fireman who operated the B2502 steam engine on this trip are former Diesel drivers being trained to replace Pudjiono and Darwanto, the current drivers at Ambarawa. According to Darwanto, who will retire next year (Pudjiono will retire in 2010), the two men, Heru and Slamet, have been taking turns doing most of the driving in the last three months. Soon, another driver from the Poncol depo will join the team in Ambarawa. So, it seems there will be no crisis of drivers in Ambarawa after all.

In the "back seat" a rather tense instructor watches his students drive the engine.

But, actually there was nothing to worry about. The trip itself was smooth and uneventful (as a good rail trip should be: no sudden drop of steam pressure, no stopping to take water halfway up the hills, no snapped brakes, no leaking cylinders, and no derailment; all of which have happened before), so it seems that Heru and Slamet are good students. Or was it just good luck?

Ambarawa station, safe arrival of the train from Bedono. Because of the large number of participants, they were divided into two groups. The first went on the uphill trip by train and returned to Ambarawa from Bedono by bus. The second group went up by bus and came down on the steam train. Not all were happy with this arrangement, but no one really complained (perhaps because the price of the tour was very, very cheap even by Indonesian standards). In any case, everyone had a good time.

Seno Prakoso, Coordinator of the Semarang Heritage Walk 2008

Semarang Railway Heritage Exhibition

2008-10-24T12:03:00.024+07:00

De Locomotief

Model lokomotif D52, jenis lokomotif uap lintas raya pertama dan terakhir yang didatangkan ke Indonesia setelah kemerdekaan. Model indah ini ini milik PT Kereta Api Daop 4 Semarang

Logo IRPS dan pendukung lain pada spanduk

Kadaop 4 Semarang PTKA Eddy S. Jokosewoyo (kanan) melihat pameran

Pameran:"Meretas Jalan Menuai Waktu: Sejarah perkeretaapian di Semarang" 24 - 31 Oktober 2008

Pembukaan

Hari/ Tanggal: Jumat, 24 Oktober 2008

Tempat : Gedung eks "De Locomotief"Taman Srigunting, Kota Lama Semarang

Jam: 19.00

MERETAS JALAN MENUAI WAKTU (Sejarah Kereta Api di Semarang)

Semarang merupakan tonggak awal dibangunnya jalur kereta api pertama di Indonesia. Beberapa peninggalan yang menggambarkan perjalanan perkeretapian kini masih menyisakan nafasnya di berbagai tempat. Meski sebagian bisa dikatakan sudah atau nyaris hilang, masih ada yang pantas untuk disinggahi sebagai monumen perjuangan saat meretas jalan hingga menuai waktu. Istilah ini menyiratkan sebuah perjalanan panjang sang roda besi di Semarang , yang telah berumur 140 tahun, dalam menapaki terjalnya lintasan bagaikan kisah yang tiada akhir. Hanya sang waktu yang dapat membuktikan sosok roda besi ini menapakkan langkahnya diantara berbagai harapan yang tak pernah usai.

The "Banyubiru" (Semarang - Solo)

2008-09-17T22:21:00.025+07:00

The Indonesian Railway Company (PT Kereta Api) will launch a new train on 19 September 2008. The “Banyubiru” ("blue waters" in Javanese, though its colour scheme is not blue at all) will connect the cities of Semarang and Solo, Central Java. It will travel through the historical Semarang - Tanggung route, Indonesia's first railway line. Eventually the service will be extended to Sragen, east of Solo.

The new "Banyubiru" (right) and the old "Pandanwangi" (left), both serving the Semarang-Solo line

The “Banyubiru” actually consists of two Diesel multiple units (DMU) sets, each composed of four business and economy class coaches. These brand new DMUs were manufactured by PT. INKA (Indonesian Railway Industry) in Madiun. The traveling time from Semarang to Solo would be two hours forty five minutes.

Interior of the "Banyubiru"

On 17 September 2008 the first set arrived at Semarang - Poncol locomotive shed. Members of the Indonesian Railway Preservation Society (IRPS) – Semarang were there to welcome the train and were warmly received by the shed master. He personally gave them a “sneak preview” of the train. The second set is expected to arrive in December 2008.

Malaysian Interlude: Preserved Engines at the Muzium Negara, Kuala Lumpur

2008-08-23T09:09:00.018+07:00

Three locomotives (two steam and one diesel) are displayed on plinths on the grounds of the Muzium Negara in Kuala Lumpur.

L class 4-6-2 Pacific, manufactured by Kitson and Co., England (1921).

I like plants, but in this case think it would be better to remove the potted plants

T class 0-6-2 tank, built by Bagnall Ltd., England (1929). These were the first British engines to have steel fireboxes. Used for dock services in Singapore and Port Kelang till 1964.

22 class Co-Co Diesel electric locomotive “Seri Menanti”, built by English Electric (1971). These engines were part of the “dieselisation” programme to replace steam traction. These engines mainly hauled freight trains.

Indonesia To Relocate Key Railway Threatened By Mud Volcano

2008-08-20T13:35:00.010+07:00

Indonesia To Relocate Key Railway Threatened By Mud Volcano

by Staff Writers

(photo: Suara Merdeka)

On the left is the earth dam that is supposed to prevent the mud from flooding the tracks. It has, however, burst open several times (photo: TR).

Jakarta (AFP) Feb 13, 2007

A key railway line threatened by a massive "mud volcano" which has forced thousands of people to flee their homes on the Indonesian island of Java will be relocated, officials said Tuesday. A gas well near Surabaya in East Java operated by PT Lapindo Brantas has spewed steaming mud since May last year, submerging villages, factories and fields. The advancing sea of mud is now threatening to swamp the railway connecting Indonesia's second largest city Surabaya with Malang and Banyuwangi.

Recent downpours have also affected parts of the line, forcing trains to slow down to avoid accidents.

But Rudi Novrianto, spokesman for the government team handling the crisis, said construction to relocate the line "will not start until next year."

"We are now doing the technical design," he told AFP.

In the meantime, Novrianto said there was no other option but to use the current track.

The government will shift the track, which currently runs very close to the mud volcano zone, four kilometres (more than two miles) from its present location.

State railway operator PT Kereta Api said it lacked the 450 billion rupiah (50 million dollars) required to relocate the 18-kilometre track and would ask the government team for financial help, detikcom news portal reported.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has ordered Lapindo to pay 3.8 trillion rupiah (420 million dollars) in compensation and costs.

Various efforts have been made to stop the flow and divert the spewing mud into a nearby river, none of which has been successful. Coordinating Minister for Social Welfare Aburizal Bakrie claimed last month that the flow was a "natural disaster" unrelated to the drilling activities of Lapindo, which belongs to a group controlled by his family.

However, a study by British experts said the eruption was most likely caused by drilling for gas.

In addition, 13 people died after an explosion in November when an underground gas pipeline burst following subsidence that was blamed on the mud leak.

Source: Agence France-Presse

Indonesia: 63 years of independence

2008-08-18T22:18:00.021+07:00

(photo: Antara-IPPHOS)

The railways: A witness of a young nation’s optimism

The photo was taken on 12 February 1948 at Tugu railway station in Yogyakarta. The young men on the train are members of the Siliwangi Division from Bandung. As a result of the Renville Agreement signed on 15 January 1948, they had been forced to withdraw from Bandung. They arrived at Tugu at midday under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Mokoginta. They were part of the 35,000 man strong Republican forces which had been obliged to leave the regions which had now been placed under Dutch authority under the terms of the Renville Agreement. The train had been considered the most practical form of transport; it allowed the Good Offices Committee to keep a close eye on the movements of troops, which is what had been agreed during the negotiations. It was the journey of an army defeated, not on the battlefield but at the negotiating table.

The girls welcome the defeated war heroes. But the meeting – whatever the circumstances may have been – is a joyous one. The girls with the neat buns and the enthusiastic warriors exchange jokes and smiles. Handsome, attractive young people momentarily freed from taboos and revolution. Perhaps it was their first and their last meeting, or, who knows, perhaps there was a sequel to the story? It was just this sort of romantic moment which inspired the composer Ismail Marzuki to write “Sepasang Mata Bola” (A pair of round eyes), a love song with the revolution as background.

Excerpt from: “The railways and the (de-)colonisation of Indonesia”, Alex Supartono, Jakarta, August 2006

My question, is the dream still ours, or have we lost it along these 63 years?

Kereta api: Saksi optimisme bangsa muda

Foto ini diambil pada 12 Februari 1948 di Stasiun Tugu, Yogyakarta. Pemuda di dalam kereta adalah anggauta Divisi Siliwangi dari Bandung. Sebagai hasil Perjanjian Renville yang ditandatangai pada 15 Januari 1948, mereka diharuskan mundur diri dari Bandung. Mereka tiba di Tugu pada tengah hari dibawah pimpinan Letnan Kolonel Mokoginta. Mereka adalah sebagian dari 35.000 pasukan Republik yang diharuskan meninggalkan daerah yang sesuai Perjanjian Renville beralih daerah kekuasaan Belanda. Kereta api dianggap sarana transporasi yang paling praktis; kereta api memungkinkan Komisi Jasa Baik mengawasi pergerakan pasukan dengan seksama, sesuai dengan kesepakatan Perjanjian Renville. Ini adalah perjalanan tentara yang kalah, bukan di medan perang tapi di meja perundingan.

Gadis-gadis menyambut prajurit yang kalah itu. Tapi pertemuan itu – terlepas dari sebab yang melatarbelakanginya - adalah pertemuan yang penuh kegembiraan. Gadis-gadis dengan rambut terikat rapi dan pejuang yang penuh antusiasme saling bergurau dan melempar senyum. Anak-anak muda yang tampan dan menarik, terbebas untuk sesaat dari tabu dan revolusi. Mungkin ini pertemuan mereka yang pertama dan terakhir, atau siapa tahu ada kelanjutan kisah ini? Saat-saat romantis seperti iniyang mengilhami komposer Ismail Marzuki menciptakan lagu “Sepasang Mata Bola”, lagu cinta berlatar belakang revolusi.

Kutipan dari: “The railways and the (de-)colonisation of Indonesia”, Alex Supartono, Jakarta, August 2006

Pertanyaan saya, apakah kita masih memiliki mimpi itu, atau kah telah hilang dalam perjalanan 63 tahun ini?

The Yogyakarta Special

2008-08-15T20:49:00.070+07:00

C28 class (SS class 1300) 4-6-4 tank engine (photo: Rob Dickinson)

Jakarta in December 1945 had become an unsafe place for the leaders of the fledgling Republic of Indonesia. Japan had been defeated and the Netherlands was trying to regain control of its former colony. Soldiers of the Netherlands Indies Civil Administration (NICA) were terrorising the homes of President Sukarno and Vice President Mohammad Hatta. The two leaders had to be constantly on the move for their safety. Finally, on 4 January 1946, at around 7 o’clock in the evening, Sukarno and Hatta secretly left Jakarta for Yogyakarta. Earlier, Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX of Yogyakarta had invited Sukarno to move the seat of government to Yogyakarta.

Republican railway workers had arranged a special train to transport the leaders. At the head of the train was C2849, a 4-6-4 Esslingen tank engine. The locomotive’s regular duty was hauling one of the Staatsspoorwegen (State Railway Company) crack Vlugge Vier (Speedy Four) trains between Jakarta and Bandung. Inconspicuously, at the very end of the rack were two teakwood boogie carriages, IL-7 and IL-8, now preserved in the Transportation Museum in Jakarta, which carried the President, the Vice President and their families. These two carriages, built in 1919 in the works in Bandung, used to be the private saloons of the Governor General of the Netherlands Indies. They replaced an earlier saloon built in 1891, which was the first boogie passenger carriage in Indonesia.

To allow Sukarno, Hatta, and their party to board the train, it was shunted back and forth along the tracks behind Sukarno’s home at Pegangsaan Timur 56. The train was dark; no single light was turned on. After the whole group had boarded the train, it moved slowly to Manggarai Station. There, Netherlands Indies Civil Administration (NICA) soldiers checked the first carriage. They found it empty and looking at the other dark coaches assumed that they were also empty.

Vice President and Mrs Rahmi Hatta on board the Yogyakarta Special

Before leaving Jakarta, the train made another stop at Jatinegara Station. There, Dutch soldiers looked suspiciously but did not enter the coaches. After a brief stop the train moved towards its destination. The lights were switched on after entering republican controlled territory at Kranji. At the stations along the way people were waiting to greet the two leaders.

Finally at 10 o’clock in the morning of 5 January it reached Yogyakarta’s Tugu Station, where Hamengku Buwono IX was already waiting. Soon afterwards Sukarno made a radio speech announcing to the world that as of that day the government of the Republic of Indonesia had moved to Yogyakarta. Yogyakarta would be Indonesia’s capital for the next four years.

References:

(Anonymous) Sosok Bersahaja Bung Karno, http://solindo.wordpress.com/2008/03/11/sosok-bersahaja-bung-karno/

Atmakusumah (ed.)(1982) Tahta Untuk Rakyat: Celah-celah Kehidupan Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX, Jakarta: Gramedia

De Bruin, Jan (2003) Het Indische spoor in oorlogstijd, s’Hertogenbosch: Uquilair

Hatta, Rahmi (1982) ‘Uang Belanja Pemberian Sri Sultan Masih tersimpan Sebagai Kenangan’, in Atmakusumah (ed.)(1982) Tahta Untuk Rakyat: Celah-celah Kehidupan Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX, Jakarta: Gramedia

(photo: Rob Dickinson)

IL-7 and IL-8 at the Transportation Museum, Jakarta (right, top photo); Governor General of the Netherlands Indies D. Fock boarding his special train at Tanjung Priok Harbour in 1921 (bottom photo).

Kereta Api Luar Biasa Yogyakarta

Jakarta pada Desember 1945 tidak aman lagi bagi pemimpin-pemimpin Republik muda yang baru diproklamasikan. Jepang telah menyerah dan Belanda berusaha menguasai lagi bekas jajahannya. Tentara Netherlands Indies Civil Administration (NICA) terus menteror kediaman Presiden Sukarno dan Wakil Presien Mohammad Hatta. Demi keselamatan mereka, kedua pemimpin itu terpaksa selalu berpindah-pindah tempat. Akhirnya, pada 4 Januari 1946 sekitar jam 7 malam Sukarno dan Hatta diam-diam meninggalkan Jakarta menuju Yogyakarta. Sebelumnya Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX telah mengundang Sukarno untuk memindahkan pemerintahan ke Yogyakarta.

Pegawai kereta api pro-republik telah menyiapkan kereta api luar biasa (KLB) untuk mengankut kedua pemimpin itu. Penghela kereta adalah lokomotif C2849 buatan Eslingen. Biasanya lokomotif ini berugas menarik kereta api Vlugge Vier antara Jakarta dan bandung dari Staatsspoorwegen (SS). Di belakang sendiri, tidak terlihat menonjol, adalah dua kereta kayu, IL-7 dan IL-8, yang sekarang dipreservasi di Museum Transportasi Jakarta, berisi Presiden, Wakil Presiden dan keluarga mereka. Kedua kereta buatan balai yasa Bandung pada 1919 semula adalah kereta pribadi Gubernur Jenderal Hindia Belanda. Kedua kereta ini menggantikan kereta pribadi gubernur jenderal yang dibuat 1891, yang adalah kereta penumpang berboogie pertama di Indonesia.

Untuk menaikkan Sukarno dan Hatta beserta rombongan mereka, kereta api itu dilangsir bolak-balik di jalur rel di belakang rumah Sukarno di Pegangsaan Timur 56. Kereta dibiarkan gelap, tidak ada satu lampu pun yang dinyalakan. Setelah seluruh rombongan berada di atas, kereta api dijalankan pelan-pelan ke Stasiun Manggarai. Di stasiun itu tentara NICA memeriksa kereta terdepan. Kereta itu kosong, dan me;lihat kereta lain yang gelap mereka mengira seluruh rangkaian itu kosong tidak berpenumpang.

Sebelum meninggalkan kota Jakarta kereta api itu berhenti lagi di Stasiun Jatinegara. Di stasiun itu tentara Belanda mengamati dengan curiga, tapi tidak memasuki kereta. Setelah berhenti sebentar di Jatinegara KLB itu meneruskan perjalanan. Setelah memasuki wilayah yang dikuasai Republik di Kranji baru lampu-lampu dinyalakan. Di stasiun-stasiun perhentian di sepanjang jalan rakyat menyambut kedua pemimpin mereka itu.

Akhirnya, pada pagi hari 5 Januari sekitar jam 10 KLB tiba di Stasiun Tugu Yogyakarta, di mana Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX telah menunggu. Tidak berapa lama kemudian Sukarno berpidato melalui radio, mengumumkan pada seluruh dunia bahwa sejak saat itu pemerintah Republik Indonesia telah pindah ke Yogyakarta. Yogyakarta akan menjadi ibukota Indonesia selama empat tahun.

Hamengku Buwono IX

Referensi:

(Anonymous) Sosok Bersahaja Bung Karno, http://solindo.wordpress.com/2008/03/11/sosok-bersahaja-bung-karno/

Atmakusumah (ed.)(1982) Tahta Untuk Rakyat: Celah-celah Kehidupan Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX, Jakarta: Gramedia

De Bruin, Jan (2003) Het Indische spoor in oorlogstijd, s’Hertogenbosch: Aquilair

Hatta, Rahmi (1982) ‘Uang Belanja Pemberian Sri Sultan Masih tersimpan Sebagai Kenangan’, dalam Atmakusumah (ed.)(1982) Tahta Untuk Rakyat: Celah-celah Kehidupan Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX, Jakarta: Gramedia

Ambarawa Railway: Potential World Heritage Site

2008-08-09T11:36:00.028+07:00

THE AMBARAWA-BEDONO RAILWAY, CENTRAL JAVA
(Excerpt from: Potential railway world heritage sites in Asia and the Pacific, Robert Lee, University of Western Sydney, Macarthur )

Although an archipelago, Indonesia has an extensive railway system on two of its islands, Java and Sumatra. Until the 1980s there was also a small system on the island of Madura, just off the coast of Java near Surabaya. At their peak, there were 6,458 kilometres of railway in the Netherlands Indies. Both Java and Sumatra have mountainous topography difficult for railway construction. In Java, these mountains are mostly volcanos, the saddles between which have needed to be climbed for railways to connect the flatter and generally more productive parts of the island. Railway services in Java have always been intensive, and remain so, which is scarcely surprising given its current population of more than 130 million. Railways were introduced early into Java, the first line - a 26 kilometre section between Kemijen and Tanggung of what would become the main line from Semarang to Solo and Yogyakarta - being opened on 17 June 1864. This standard-gauge line was built and operated by a private company, the Nederlands Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij or NIS. Ultimately Java's railways were built by a motley collection of twelve private companies and the Government, whose system - the largest - was called the Staats Spoorweg or SS. Although the first NIS line was built to standard gauge, the rest of Java's railways were built to a gauge of 3' 6".

This remained the situation until 1942, when the Japanese occupation authorities unified the railways under a central administration based in Bandung called the Rikuyu Kyoku (Imperial Railways). The Japanese penchant for centralisation extended to gauge: the former NIS line was relaid to 3' 6" gauge and its standard gauge equipment shipped to Manchuria. Except for the period of the Indonesian Revolution between 1945 and 1949, when rival Dutch and Republican railway administrations existed, Java has had a unified railway system, called since 1990 the Perusahaan Umum Kereta Api (Public Railway Company).

Nearly all of Java's railways pass through areas of great scenic beauty, and some cross mountain ravines, often terraces with rice fields, using high steel bridges. The very busy main line between Jakarta and Bandung includes a number of such bridges, all traversed by dozens of passenger trains each day. However, spectacular as this line is, it is difficult to make any claims that it is unique. Such a claim can be made, however, for the nine kilometres of railway between Ambarawa and Bedono, the last surviving fragment of the former SS route between Semarang and Yogyakarta. This too is a transmontane railway. Whereas the NIS standard-gauge line between these two cities took a longer route well to the east to avoid the mass of the two volcanos in the centre of the island, Merapi and Merbabu, the SS line went over the saddle between them and the Dieng Plateau, climbing by rack to an elevation of 711 metres at Bedono.

The history of the line and the motives for its construction are unusual. Ambarawa is strategically located, commanding the pass from the north coast to the central plains, where the remnants of the feudal kingdoms of central Java remain. It was at Ambarawa that the Dutch under Governor General Janssens surrendered to the British under Thomas Stamford Raffles in 1811. The place was and remains an important military centre. Thus the first railway was built to Ambarawa for military reasons. The standard-gauge branch from the NIS main line at Kedungjati was opened on 21 May 1873. An enormous station, relative to the size of the town, formed the terminus. This brick, stucco and iron building still stands and still serves as a railway station, although now patronised largely by tourists rather than the troops of a colonial army. The town was then named Willem I in honour of the Dutch king at the time. This was unusual for the Dutch, who usually retained local names (the other main exceptions in Java were Batavia and Buitenzorg), and reflected the importance and Europeanness with which they regarded the place.

Subsequently, in the first few years of the twentieth century, the government built a line over the mountain saddle to Magelang , headquarters of its colonial army, and from there on to Yogyakarta. This was a 3' 6" gauge line, built to light standards, much of it beside the road, and with a ruling grade of 1 in 12. Thus, for some decades Ambarawa was a break-of-gauge station. A series of five 0-4-2rack locomotives was ordered from Émil Kessler of Esslingen in Germany to work the rack section of the line. They have done so ever since. The railway, conceived in military terms, was never particularly commercially significant, and the mountain section from Ambarawa to Magelang was closed in 1976. However, the rack line was retained as far as Bedono, together with two of the locomotives and a small collection of four-wheel timber coaches, all dating from the first decade of the twentieth century. These are now used to operate a tourist service on the line. Thus the extraordinary station at Ambarawa and the rack line have remained in continuous use since their inception. Moreover, the vast grounds of the station have been put to use as a railway museum, where 21 steam locomotives are now displayed. [1]

Because of its military history and associations with colonialism, the railway has an important yet ambivalent place in Indonesian history and in national consciousness. This is expressed poignantly in a recent novel by Y.B. Mangunwijaya, a Western-educated Indonesian novelist who fought on the side of the Republic during the Revolution of 1945-9. The novel is set largely in and around Magelang. There the railway intruded into the old and spiritually charged landscape of central Java.The narrator, a Javanese officer fighting on the side of the Dutch in the colonial army against the new Indonesian Republic, is facing defeat and contemplates his future and the wisdom of his choice. The proximity of the Buddhist temple of Borobudur and the railway - symbols of the Javanese past and the Dutch-dominated present; of spiritual and material values; of the dichotomy which has touched every Asian society and most Asian hearts in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries - leads the narrator into a reverie:

“A few meters away from where I sat the railway track crossed the road and curved gracefully in a wide arc across the embankment which towered above the rice paddies. It looked like a giant python seeking its burrow in the Elo River. As it sliced across the rice fields, heedless of the intricately ordered fields that had been built through generations of patient toil, the steel python became a menacing intruder from the world of rationality, an ominous portent that had come to disturb the natural beauty of the surroundings. Yes, this is a beautiful country, I thought. There was no doubt about that. Yet it's a disturbing place, too, because no one can ever really know the contents of its heart, even through the force of an aggressor. Aggressor? Atop fertile farmland had been built an embankment of so many thousand cubic meters whose sole purpose was to support the gravel, ironwood sleepers, and steel rails that make possible the swift journey of another world and a different attitude toward life. Why, I wondered, had the term aggressor come to mind?” [2]

There is a rich irony about the closure of most of this railway in the 1970s. It occurred not because of this railway's aggressively imperial role in a nation's spiritual heartland, but because it did not succeed well enough on its own terms and no longer paid dividends. The fragment that remains is true to Mangunwijaya's description. There are no large bridges, but the sweeping embankments contrast effectively with the tortuous route of the road it parallels. Above all, this is a very intimate railway, slicing through sawah (rice fields) on its lower reaches, brushing past banana and jungle trees as it climbs the volcanos. Its continued operation indicates that it valued, probably more for its aesthetic than historical qualities, by the provincial and railway authorities of Central Java. This it richly deserves.

[1] There is no adequate history of the railways of the Netherlands Indies and the Indonesian Republic. I have relied on personal observation and two published sources, both of which are more concerned with locomotives than anything else. They are Perusahaan Umum Kereta Api, Wilayah Usaha Jawa, Data Lokomotip-lokomotip tua Koleksi Museum Kereta Api, Ambarawa - Jawa Tengah Indonesia, Semarang, PERUMKA, 1996, and A.E. Durrant, PJKA Power Parade, London, Continental Railay Circle, 1972. This paucity of sources has meant that I am unable even to give a an accurate date of opening of the Ambarawa-Bedono section. A date around 1902-3 is most probable, but clearly archival research, either in the Netherlands or Indonesia, is essential to document the site adequately.

[2] Y.B. Mangunwijaya, The Weaverbirds (translated by Thomas M. Hunter), Jakarta, Lontar, 1991, pp. 151-2.

Tjahjono Rahardjo's notes: The Cape gauge (1067 mm) line from Ambarawa to Yogyakarta via Secang and Magelang was not SS but, like the Stephenson gauge (1435 mm) Kedungjati – Ambarawa line, was also NIS.

FOR THE FULL ARTICLE SEE:

Potential railway world heritage sites in Asia and the Pacific, Robert Lee, University of Western Sydney, Macarthur: http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/irs/irshome/papers/robert2.htm

RAILWAY WORLD HERITAGE SITES:

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway: http://www.dhr.in/
Semmering Railway: htttp://www.semmering.or.at/en/history/ghegarailway.html

The Forgotten Death Railway

2008-08-03T20:56:00.034+07:00

2008 will mark the 63rd anniversary of the Muaro-Pekanbaru railway, which was finished on 15 August 1945. But this was no ordinary railway. Like its more-well known counterpart, the Thai - Burma Railway, forced labourers built it. The building of this railway has cost the lives of Indonesian romushas and Dutch, British, and Australian prisoners of war (POWs). Some have estimated that more than 10,000 of them are buried alongside the tracks in the middle of the dense Sumatera jungle, though no one will ever know the exact figure. Therefore, this railway is known as the Sumatera Death Railway. Unlike the Burma Railway (which even had a film, “The Bridge on the River Kwai” made about it), however, not many people know about the Sumatera Death Railway, not even in Indonesia.

Before World War II the Dutch colonial government had already made plans to construct a railway network connecting the east and west coasts of Sumatera, and eventually covering the whole island. The line connecting Muaro and Pekanbaru was part of the plan. But the obstacles they had to face were formidable; numerous tunnels, viaducts and bridges would need to be build. Considered not yet feasible, the plans gathered dust in the archives of the Nederlandsch-Indische Spoorwegen (Netherlands-Indian State Railways).

When the Japanese occupied Indonesia in 1942 they discovered this plan. The Japanese military authority saw that it was a solution to the problem they were facing. By building a railway line connecting West Sumatera to the East coast they could avoid transporting through Padang and the Indian Ocean which was heavily patrolled by allied warships. The new railway would extend the existing network of the Staatsspoorwegen ter Sumatra’s Weskust (SSS) by 215 kilometres to the harbour of Pekanbaru. Then, via the Siak River, it would be easy to reach the Strait of Melaka.

Work started in September 1943. Romushas began by building railway facilities and embankments in Pekanbaru. In May 1944 the POWs started to arrive. But some of the romushas and POWs never even made it to Pekanbaru. Many were killed when Allied torpedoes sank the ships transporting them. But most of the workers died of malnutrition, disease and rough treatment.
Meanwhile, railway materials – tracks and rolling stock - were also brought in from other parts of the country, including several locomotives of the former Deli Spoorweg Maatschappij (DSM), the Semarang Cheribon Stoomtram Maatschappij (SCS) and the Samarang Joana Stoomtram Maatschappij (SJS).

Because the Japanese were in a hurry to finish the railway the construction of tunnels was avoided, but rivers and ravines still had to be bridged using trees chopped from the tiger infested jungle. The overall quality of construction was very poor. Finally, the line was finished on 15 August 1945, the same day that Japan capitulated. The railway was never used for it intended purpose, carrying coal from the mines in Sawahlunto, West Sumatera, to Pekanbaru. The only trains that travelled along the lines were used to transport the freed POWs. Soon afterwards the line was abandoned. The romushas and POWs who had lost their lives had died in vain.

Today in Lipatkain, Riau, about half way of the line, a monument stands to commemorate them. Neglected and forlorn, nobody seem to care about it.

More information:

http://www.usmm.org/duffylifedeath.html

http://au.geocities.com/frans_taminiau/

http://www.chbss.nl/content.asp?ID=54 (in Dutch)

Jalan Kereta Api Maut yang Terlupakan

Tahun 2008 ini akan menandai 63 tahun usia jalan kereta api Muaro-Pekanbaru, yang selesai dibangun 15 Agustus 1945. Tapi ini bukan jalan kereta api biasa. Seperti jalan kereta api Thai – Birma yang lebih terkenal, jalan kereta api ini dibangun oleh pekerja paksa. Pembangunannya telah memakan korban jiwa romusha Indonesia dan tawanan perang Belanda, Inggris dan Australia. Diperkirakan sekitar 10.000 dikuburkan sepanjang jalan rel di tengah belantara Sumatera, meski tidak aka ada yang tahu jumlah pastinya. Karena itu, jalan kereta api ini dikenal juga sebagai Jalan Kereta Api Maut Sumatera. Tapi tidak seperti Jalan Kereta Api Birma (yang bahkan telah dibuat filmya, “The Bridge on the River Kwai”), tidak banyak orang yang tahu tentang Jalan Kereta Api Maut Sumatera, tidak juga di Indonesia.

Sebelum Perang Dunia II pemerintah kolonial Belanda telah membuat rencana pembangunan jaringan jalan rel yang menghubungkan pantai timur dan pantai barat Sumatera, yang akhirnya akan meliputi seluruh pulau Sumatera. Jalur Muaro ke Pekanbaru adalah bagian dari rencana itu. Tapi hambatan yang dihadapi begitu berat; banyak terowongan, viaduk dan jembatan harus dibangun. Karena belum dianggap layak, rencana itu tersimpan saja di arsip Nederlands-Indische Staatsspoorwegen (Perusahaan Negara Kereta Api Hindia Belanda).

Ketika Jepang menduduki Indonesia pada 1942 mereka menemukan rencana itu. Penguasa militer Jepang melihatnya sebagai jalan keluar persoalan yang mereka hadapi. Pembangunan jalan rel yang menghubungkan Sumatera Barat dan pantai timur Sumatera akan membuat jalur transportasi yang menghindari Padang dan Samudera India yang dijaga ketat kapal perang Sekutu. Jalan kereta api baru itu akan memperluas jaringan Staatsspoorwegen te Sumatra’s Weskust (SSS) sepanjang 215 ke pelabuhan Pekanbaru. Dari sana, melalui Sungai Siak akan mudah mencapai Selat Melaka.

Pekerjaan dimulai September 1943. Para Romusha membangun fasilitas perkeretaapian dan badan jalan rel di Pekanbaru. Mei 1944 para tawanan perang mulai berdatangan. Tapi sebagian romusha dan tawanan perang tidak pernah sampai ke Pekanbaru. Banyak yang terbunuh ketika kapal yang mereka tumpangi tenggelam terkena torpedo Sekutu. Tapi sebagian besar mereka meninggal karena kurang makan, penyakit dan perlakuan buruk.

Sementara itu, material kereta api – rel, lokomotif dan gerbong – didatangkan juga dari tempat lain, termasuk beberapa lokomotif bekas Deli Spoorweg Maatschappij (DSM) and Semarang Cheribon Stoomtram Maatschappij (SCS).

Karena Jepang terdesak waktu untuk menyelesaikan lintasan ini, pembangunan terowongan dihindari, tapi untuk melintasi sungai dan jurang masih tetap harus dibangun jembatan dari kayu yang ditebang di hutan yang dihuni harimau. Mutu pekerjaan secara keseluruhan sangat rendah. Akhirnya jalan rel ini selesai pada 15 Agustus 1945, bersamaan dengan penyerahan Jepang pada Sekutu. Jalan kereta api ini tidak pernah digunakan untuk tujuannya semula, membawa batubara dari Sawah Lunto, Sumatera barat, ke Pekanbaru. Kereta api yang melalui jalan rel ini hanya kereta api pengangkut tawanan perang yang telah dibebaskan. Tidak lama setelah itu jalan rel ini ditinggalkan begitu saja. Para romusha dan tawanan perang yang mengorbankan nyawa untuk pembangunan jalan rel ini mati sia-sia.

Kini di Lipatkain, Riau, kira-kira dipertengahan jalur itu, berdiri monumen untuk memperingati mereka. Tidak terawat dan merana, tidak banyak orang yang memperdulikannya.

Indonesia's First Locomotives

2008-07-26T20:56:00.019+07:00

Semarang, 22 June 1865: NIS 1 - Indonesia’s first locomotive – starts its service

Though the first railway line in Indonesia, between Semarang and Tanggung, was only officially opened on 10 August 1867, in 1863 the Netherlands-Indies Railway Company (Nederlandsch-Indische Spoorwegmaatschappij – NIS) had already put orders for two locomotives from Borsig, Berlin. These two locomotives were intended for the Kedungjati – Willem I (Ambarawa) line, which in some parts had gradients of 2.8 percent. At that time Borsig engines were already widely used in the Netherlands.

Exactly one year later the two locomotives were ready and sent to Semarang. On 22 June 1865 these two first Indonesian engines were operational, carrying the numbers NIS 1 and NIS 2 respectively. As the tracks were still being constructed, the two engines were enlisted to speed up the work, and at the same time to train the personnel who will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the machines. It should be noted that in his book “De Stoomtractie op Java en Sumatra” JJG Oegema mentions that by 1868 the NIS had already had natives engine drivers. The public viewed the new transportation mode with awe as well as fear. As Liem Thian Joe wrote in his book “Riwayat Semarang” (1933): “Publiek Priboemi dan Tionghoa pertjaja, itoe kepala spoor didjalanken dengan kekoeatan …… setan.” (“Both the Native and Chinese public believed that the engine was moved by the power of…… satan.”).

For the relatively flat Semarang – Surakarta – Yogyakarta route the NIS wanted to order four more locomotives from Borsig. But Borsig turned down the order because it still had many unfinished orders. NIS than turned to the renowned British locomotive manufacturer, Beyer Peacock of Manchester.

At the end of 1866 four Beyer Peacock engines arrived in Semarang and were given the serial numbers NIS 3 to NIS 6. Besides numbers, the four engines were given names: “JP de Bordes” (after the NIS chief engineer), “Merapi”, “Merbaboe” and “Lawoe” (the names of three Central Javanese volcanoes). On one side the names were written in Roman characters while on the other side in Javanese script. The locomotives were commissioned on 10 August 1867, the same date as the official opening of the Semarang–Tanggung line.

The performance of the Beyer Peacock engines pleased the NIS, so that in the following years NIS ordered tens of locomotives from the British company. Meanwhile, NIS also ordered three more Borsig engines especially for the Kedungjati-Ambarawa line.

Tjahjono Rahardjo

NIS 1 (right/kanan), Beyer Peacok (left/kiri)

Semarang, 22 Juni 1865: NIS 1 - lokomotif pertama di Indonesia - mulai bertugas

Meskipun jalur kereta api pertama di Indonesia, yaitu antara Semarang – Tanggung, baru diresmikan pada 10 Agustus 1867, pada 1863 perusahaan kereta api Nederlandsch-Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij (NIS) telah memesan dua buah lokomotif dari pabrik Borsig, Jerman. Kedua lokomotif itu direncanakan akan melayani jalur antara Kedungjati dan Willem I (Ambarawa) yang di beberapa tempat kemiringannya mencapai 2,8%. Ketika itu lokomotif-lokomotif buatan Borsig sudah banyak dipakai di Belanda.

Tepat setahun kemudian dua lokomotif tersebut selesai dibuat dan dikirim ke Semarang. Pada 22 Juni 1865 lokomotif pertama di Indonesia itu mulai dioperasikan, masing-masing dengan nomor seri NIS 1 dan NIS 2. Karena jalur kereta api pada waktu itu sedang dalam pembuatan, lokomotif baru itu dimanfaatkan untuk mempercepat pembangunan, sekaligus untuk melatih para petugas yang akan mengoperasikan dan memelihara lokomotif-lokomotif tersebut. Sebagai catatan, seperti ditulis dalam buku “ De Stoomtractie op Java en Sumatra” (1982) karangan JJG Oegema, pada 1868 NIS telah mempunyai masinis orang pribumi Indonesia. Alat transportasi baru itu disambut masyarakat dengan rasa kagum tapi sekaligus takut. Seperti ditulis Liem Thian Joe dalam buku “Riwayat Semarang” (1933): “Publiek Priboemi dan Tionghoa pertjaja, itoe kepala spoor didjalanken dengan kekoeatan …… setan.”

Untuk jalur Semarang – Surakarta – Yogyakarta yang relatif datar NIS memesan empat buah lokomotif lagi pada Borsig. Tapi Borsig tidak sangup memenuhi pesanan tersebut karena banyaknya pesanan lain yang masih harus diselesaikan. Kemudian NIS menengok ke Beyer Peacock, perusahaan pembuat lokomotif terkenal di Manchester, Inggris.
Pada akhir 1866 empat lokomotif Beyer Peacock itu tiba di Semarang dan mendapat nomor seri NIS 3 – 6. Selain nomor, keempat lokomotif itu juga diberi nama, masing-masing “ JP de BORDES” (hoofdingénieur NIS), “MERAPI”, “MERBABOE” dan “LAWOE”. Nama-nama tersebut pada satu sisi lokomotif ditulis dalam aksara latin, pada sisi lain dalam aksara jawa. Penggunaan keempat lokomotif diresmikan pada 10 Agustus 1867, bersamaan dengan pembukaan jalur Semarang – Tanggung.

Kinerja lokomotif-lokomotif Beyer Peacock ini sangat memuaskan, sehingga NIS pada tahun-tahun berikutnya memesan puluhan lagi lokomotif dari perusahaan Inggris itu. Sementara pada 1870 NIS memesan tiga buah lokomotif lagi dari Borsig khusus untuk melayani jalur Kedungjati – Ambarawa.

Tjahjono Rahardjo

Semarang's stations have own place in history

2008-07-26T07:47:00.026+07:00

It was to be the greatest exposition ever held in the Netherlands East Indies, an unabashed celebration of colonial supremacy. And the venue was Semarang.

As the colonial administrators drew up their plans for the exposition celebrating the centennial of Dutch independence, they hoped the Koloniale Tentoonstelling would draw many visitors and an influx of revenue to the city. New hotels and pensions were opened; car rental companies were set up. The city was galvanized into activity for the grand event.

Unfortunately, by the time the exposition opened on August 20, 1914, rumblings of war in Europe, triggered by the assassination of Austria's Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, cast a dark shadow on the event. Due to the tense political situation the patron of the exposition, governor general Idenburg, was unable to attend the opening ceremony. And even though Japan, China, Australia, India, French Indochina and the United States were represented by their respective pavilions, all of the European countries were noticeably missing. Of the more than one million visitors expected, only about 670,000 visited the three-month-long exposition.

Among those who had been excited about the exposition were three railway companies, all privately owned, that served Semarang at that time. The Nederlandsch-Indies Spoorweg Maatschappij (NIS), the Samarang-Joana Stoomtram Maatschappij (SJS) and the Semarang-Cheribon Stoomtram Maatschappij (SCS) were expecting huge numbers of visitors to travel to Semarang on their trains. They vied with each other to be able to give the best service, including constructing new stations.

As early as 1913 the SJS already had a new iron structure built to replace the wooden station building on the same site at Jurnatan that had been in use since 1882. The old station initially served the four-kilometer-long city tramway the company operated to Semarang's Jomblang district, at the foot of the New Candi hills.

Here, in the 1920s, a new, modern housing development was built to the design of the famous architect and town planner Thomas Karsten. This tramway was later extended to the Bulu area and the harbor. The station also served the SJS line that connected Semarang with towns along the eastern coast of Central Java such as Kudus, Pati, Rembang and Juana.

Grand station

The NIS soon followed suit by building a new station but at a completely new location. This grand station, based on a NIS in-house design, came into use on June 1, 1914. The old station at Tambaksari, which was located near the harbor, was the starting point of the first railway in the Netherlands East Indies, the 25-kilometer Semarang to Tanggung line opened in 1867. It was a small, two-storey building with identical wings on both sides. It was a terminus, an end station that the Dutch call a kopstation, a typical layout for end-of-the-line stations. Unfortunately, to allow for the extension of the line to the new station at Tawang, which was located nearer to the city center, the old Tambaksari Station was pulled down.

The SCS contributed to the station-building spree with the construction of the Semarang West Station at located at Poncol, near the Prince of Orange Fort. This station was officially opened on Aug. 6, 1914, just in time for the Exposition. It was designed by Henri Maclaine-Pont who also designed the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) campus. Formerly, the SCS had a small nondescript station building at Pendrikan, southwest of Poncol.

Pendrikan was never really meant to serve passengers, thus its small size. Instead, SCS trains would continue their journeys along the city tramline and finally stop at the SJS station in Jurnatan.

Of the five railway stations -- Tambaksari, Jurnatan, Pendrikan, Tawang and Poncol -- only the latter two are still extant. Jurnatan stopped being used in 1974 and for a short time it became Semarang's bus station. It was eventually dismantled, with a plan, never realized, to re-erect it at Ambarawa Locomotive Museum. Pendrikan is now a dense kampung.

Tawang now still serves as Semarang's main passenger station. All kinds of trains, mainly business and executive class passenger trains, including the pride of the Indonesian railways, the fast Argo trains, stop at the station. However, it is facing a constant battle against chronic flooding. Hopefully, the polder system currently being constructed by the municipality will solve the problem once and for all.

Poncol is mainly an economy class and cargo station. It is now a some what plain, dull looking edifice, mainly because its large clock and elegant porcelain tile ornaments have been removed. In addition, part of its formerly open platforms have been walled in, and seen from the outside the station has lost most of its light and airy quality. The recent addition of a canopy in front of the entrance has not been of much help either.

It seems highly unlikely that Semarang will have any new station building projects in the near, and even the not so near, future to resemble those of the 1900s. Thus, it would be wise to maintain those which do remain. After all, they are all well designed, soundly constructed edifices in their own right.

Tjahjono Rahardjo

Rob Dickinson's Tour 22 July 2008: Ambarawa - Bedono Rack Line

2008-07-22T23:39:00.011+07:00

Rob Dickinson's Tour, Ambarawa 22 July 2008

Departure, Ambarawa Station

Jambu

Local children are more than welcome on Rob's tour, unlike most other charter tours on the rack line. The "local coach" was full of them.

It was a bit quiter, though, in the "international carriage".

Children were also outside the train, chasing it on their "lorry".

On the down trip from Bedono the brake rod of the engine snapped. Nothing really serious happened, some people even did not know that there was something wrong. The train eventually stopped after the hand brakes of the coaches were applied till the wheels smoked. But people who had gone off the train to take pictures had to walk down some distance to get back on the train again. My friend Bill Greer said they looked like Napoleon's army retreating from Russia. A few days later, however, it was already repaired.

More information:
http://www.users.waitrose.com/~jraby/blog1.html
http://www.users.waitrose.com/~jraby/blog.html http://www.internationalsteam.co.uk/tours/java2009.htm

Dalam perjalanan turun dari Bedono ke Ambarawa batang rem lokomotif patah. Tidak terjadi sesuatu yang serius, bahkan sebagian orang tidak asadar ada sesuatu yang tidak beres. Rangkaian kereta akhirnya berhenti setelah semua rem tangan di kereta penumpang diputar, sampai roda-roda berasap. Tapi orang-orang yang telah turun sebelumnya untuk mengambil foto terpaksa berjalan cukup jauh untuk naik kembali ke kereta. Teman saya Bill Greer mengatakan mereka mirip pasukan Napoleon yang kalah di Rusia. Tapi. beberapa hari kemudian kerusakan berhasil diperbaiki.

Informasi tambahan:
http://www.users.waitrose.com/~jraby/blog.html
http://www.users.waitrose.com/~jraby/blog1.html

http://www.internationalsteam.co.uk/tours/java2009.htm

The Wistful Ride That Started in Semarang

2008-07-20T14:18:00.012+07:00

The Jakarta Post, August 21, 2000

SEMARANG (JP): It certainly was not as luxurious as the Venice Simplon Orient Express, nor could it match even a fraction of the speed of the TGV or the Shinkansen. Even by Indonesian standards it was not an impressive train. It was just a slow, third-class train with an antiquated passenger coach that had seen better days and a couple of modified freight cars fitted with benches to accommodate passengers.

A 1957 BB 200 class General Motors diesel locomotive pulled the whole affair. It was no wonder then that when the daily Pekalongan to Surakarta Pandanaran passenger train stopped running a couple of months ago, nobody really seemed to notice.

Yet despite its obscurity, the Pandanaran claims a certain distinction. The Pandanaran was the last passenger train to travel along Indonesia's historically most important railway line. The Semarang to Surakarta and Yogyakarta (the vorstenlanden, or land of the princes) line was the first ever to be built in the then Netherlands Indies.

On June 17, 1864, then governor general Baron Sloet van de Beele officiated a ground-breaking ceremony to start the construction of tracks running 25 km from Semarang to Tanggung. Shortly after its completion on August 10, 1867, King Chulalongkorn of Siam, who was planning to start a railway system in his own country, visited Semarang to have a look at the short line.

Having faced various technical and financial problems, the whole 205 km line was completed in 1873. This included a line for military purposes, the Kedungjati-Tuntang-Ambarawa line, which at the time was called Willem I. This line was later extended to Yogyakarta through Magelang, passing the Merbabu and Merapi volcanoes and the Borobudur temple.

(map: Rob Dickinson)

A section of this line, between Jambu, Bedono and Gemawang, is a rack line, the only one in Java. Part of this line, between Ambarawa and Bedono (with plans to extend it to Tuntang), is used occasionally by the vintage Railway Mountain Tour to carry tourists.

Meanwhile, Ambarawa station is now a popular locomotive museum. This railway system, built by a private company, the Nederlandsch-Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij (NIS), was to improve communications between the portof Semarang and the agricultural heartland of Central Java. That is why the NIS station was originally located at Tambaksari, near the harbor, while the "new" Tawang Station only started to be used in 1914. It is rather ironic that this historical line was unprofitable, since its main raison d'etre was originally for its economic viability.

The rich and famous

But the NIS trains did not transport agricultural products only. The rich and famous of the day also traveled on these trains. Pakubuwana X of Surakarta (r.1893-1939) for instance, who ruled in sumptuous (albeit impotent) splendor, was a frequent traveler along the NIS line. When he was to marry Ratu Mas (the Golden Queen), daughter of Sultan Hamengkubuwono VII of Yogyakarta, he rode to Yogyakarta on his private coach decorated with the three colors of the Dutch flag. And when he died in 1939 his last journey to the royal mausoleum at Imogiri
was made on a white glazed rail-hearse.

The Dutch had tried to dissuade Pakubuwana X from making official tours beyond his tiny realm, as they were afraid that these visits might stir up commoners who still thought of him as the "King of Java". But the wily ruler simply told them that his excursions were "incognito", although this did not prevent him from having an entourage of up to 100 retainers, much to the dismay of the Dutch. Pakubuwana X's train hearse and private railway carriage, for which incense is burned and flowers are strewn, is now kept at the Surakarta keraton.

Besides the NIS line, which was a real railway, Semarang also saw the construction of the first steam tramway, a light railway unsuitable for heavy and fast traffic, in the East Indies. Another private company, the Samarang-Joana Stoomtram Matschappij (SJS), built this tramway to connect Semarang with the teakwood forests and oil fields at Cepu.

The SJS terminus in Semarang was the Station Centraal in Jurnatan. Other companies soon followed suit and new tramway lines sprung up in Java and Madura, in Sumatra (Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra and South Sumatra) and even in South Sulawesi, which unfortunately proved to be unprofitable and was closed after a few years.

Among these new tramway lines was the Semarang-Cheribon Stoomtram Matschappij (SCS), connecting Semarang with Cirebon. This was often called the "sugar line" as it served the numerous sugar factories along the north coast of Central Java. The end of the line in Semarang was the Poncol Station. Meanwhile, a city tramway system began its service in 1883, connecting Semarang's Bulu and Jomblang districts via Station Centraal.

Initially, the three privately operated railway lines were completely independent from each other. The three stations were only connected after the NIS moved its station to Tawang. Later, the SCS line was upgraded and became part of the Semarang-Batavia (Jakarta) main line in cooperation with the state railway company, the Staatsspoorwegen (SS). The SCS line is the only surviving (former) tramway in Java today. Other tramways have been closed down because they were unable to compete with other, newer modes of transportation.

The railways had an influence on Semarang's media. A Dutch-language newspaper published in Semarang was the Semarangsch Handel en Advertentieblad. As its name indicates, its content was mainly advertisements. Later, however, when it became a full-fledged daily newspaper, it was renamed De Locomotief. This name was deliberately chosen because it represented progress and innovation. Indeed, De Locomotief developed into one of the most liberal and influential newspapers in the Netherlands Indies.

Heritage sites

As the birthplace of the Indonesian railway system, Semarang has many railway-related heritage sites. Besides the four stations mentioned earlier: Tambaksari, Tawang, Jurnatan (Centraal) and Poncol, there are various railway offices. The most important one is, of course, the former head office of the NIS, which the people of Semarang have lovingly given the nickname of the "Thousand Doors Building".

Then there is the zustermaatschappijen (sister companies) building, the joint offices of the SJS-SCS-Serajoedal Stoomtram Maatschappij. The latter is the operator of the 126 km line from Maos to Wonosobo that passes through the fertile Serayu River valley.

The sister company building was designed by Thomas Karsten, a Dutch architect and town planner who played an important role in the development of Semarang. Among his many designs are the Johar Market, the New Candi settlement and the popular housing complex at Mlaten. All of these projects reflect Karsten's deep appreciation of Indonesian culture as well as his socialist and anticolonialist leanings.

Unfortunately, many of these witnesses of Semarang's past importance as a port city and a center of trade and commerce, such as the Tambaksari and the Jurnatan stations, have disappeared.

In the 1970s Jurnatan station was turned into a bus station, which, from an architectural point of view, was much more attractive than the present nondescript Terboyo bus station located at the eastern edge of the city. Moreover, it was located near the city center, just like intercity and international bus terminals in most cities in the world.

Only in Indonesia, it seems, are bus terminals constantly being pushed out into the periphery. After serving only a couple of years as Semarang's main bus terminal, this airy glass and cast-iron structure that looks like a smaller version of the Gare d'Orsay (now the Musee d'Orsay, which houses an impressive collection of French impressionist paintings) was dismantled. Now in its place is, as you might have guessed, a banal glass office and shopping complex.

The NIS headquarters, one of Semarang's most important landmarks, still exists, but in a very bad state. Besides being closely connected to the history of Indonesia's railways, it was an important scene in Semarang's fierce five-day battle from Oct. 14 to Oct. 19, 1945. This historical and beautiful building is now deserted, its plight uncertain.

Previously, there were plans to turn it into a luxury hotel while maintaining its original appearance, but with the economic crisis (and the fact that the money for this project was supposed to come from people close to the Suharto family), this plan was abandoned. The Tawang Station is somewhat more fortunate. The station is still in use and the building is well-maintained. However, it faces serious storms and high-tide flooding. There have been proposals to move its activities to Poncol, but luckily this has been canceled, at least for the time being.

The former SCS station at Poncol is also still in use, though its facade has been slightly altered with the addition of an insensitive canopy that caused some public furor. This station building was designed by Henri Maclaine-Pont, who is better known for his design of the Technische Hogeschool (now the ITB/Bandung Technological Institute) in Bandung, the church at Pohsarang, Kediri and the former SCS head office in Tegal. The luckiest railway edifice is the former zustermaatschappijen office. PT Kereta Api, the Indonesian railway company, now occupies it. It is well-maintained and in perfect condition, with no significant changes made to spoil its beauty.

These railway-related legacies are very valuable assets for Semarang. These structures could easily give Semarang the identity that it is now lacking and be a factor to attract visitors to the city.

In many developing countries there are people and groups who share an interest in railway heritage. Given its important position in Indonesia's railway history it would not be too difficult to persuade them to come to Semarang, especially if links are created with other railway heritage artifacts, such as the Ambarawa Locomotive Museum, the Jambu-Gemawang rack line and the large number of still operable steam locomotives found in sugar mills around Semarang and the teak forests of Cepu.

More importantly, however, these conserved legacies will remind us of the cost needed to build the railroads of Indonesia, not just in terms of money, but also human suffering. It will make us remember how the thundering trains of the turn of twentieth century Java, ushering a new age of modernity and progress but at the same time increasing colonial dominance, had, for better or worse, irreversibly changed its landscape, not just physically but also economically, culturally and socially.

Tjahjono Rahardjo