The Trans-Sulawesi Railway is a proposed railway that would connect the two biggest cities in Sulawesi, from Makassar in the south to Manado in the North. The first stage is currently under construction, from Makassar to Parepare. There are plans for other lines in the future that will cover all four peninsulas of the island.
Sulawesi briefly had a railway when the island was known as Celebes. The Dutch colonial government operated a railway from Makassar to Takalar from 1922 to 1930. This was on a 1067mm gauge line (the same as in Java).
[Image via sinfin.net.]
The new railway will be built on a standard gauge line and it will be used for passenger and freight services. This is part of a broader plan to build or expand railways on the major islands of Indonesia.
Maps
[Map of Sulawesi Railways.]
[Feasibility Study for Construction of Makassar – Parepare Railway in Indonesia (source).]
[Trans Sulawesi Railway Program (source).]
[Trans Sulawesi (source).]
[Map by (detikfinance).]
Links and resources
News updates: skyscrapercity.com
News Archive
The following links are the news archives of the Sulawesi Railway Project.
2023
Sumadi seeks faster completion of Maros-Mandai railway line – [21/01/23]
“Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi has called for expediting the completion of the Maros-Mandai railway line, which is a part of the Makassar-Parepare railway national strategic project (PSN) in South Sulawesi province.”
2022
Sulawesi rail project part of Indonesia-centric development: minister – [02/12/22]
“The launch of the rail line’s operations is planned for May 2023, and is scheduled to be attended by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi)”
Minister Sumadi joins South Sulawesi railway line trial – [02/12/22]
Policy brief: Maximising the effectiveness of the South Sulawesi railway line – [25/11/22]
Sulawesi’s first trains begin transporting passengers in trial – [29/10/22]
“South Sulawesi on Saturday began the trial of running a Trans Sulawesi passenger train across seven railway stations in two districts for a distance of 66 kilometers in the island’s first railway network.”
Jokowi reportedly will to inaugurate Makassar-Parepare railway end of October – [26/08/22]
“President Joko Widodo or Jokowi will inaugurate the first segment of the Makassar-Parepare Train project at the end of October. The train, a national strategic project, will connect Barru Station with Marros Station with a 71-kilometer railway.”
New PAIR research expands focus on South Sulawesi railway line – [24/08/22]
Transport minister presses for tourism development near Trans Sulawesi Railway – [29/05/22]
Minister reviews Makassar-Parepare railway project – [28/05/22]
“Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi on Saturday reviewed the progress of the Makassar-Parepare railway project, which is one of the National Strategic Projects, in South Sulawesi.”
Makassar-Parepare railway construction reconsulted – [07/04/22]
South Sulawesi rail line: Maximising benefits for people and freight – [22/02/22]
2021
Rural rail: Challenges and benefits of South Sulawesi’s planned rail line – [23/09/21]
Maska: Society needs to optimize Makassar railway traffic – Parepare – [19/08/21]
“The construction of the Trans Sulawesi railway line across Makassar – Parepare is entering the operational stage. To that end, the Indonesian Railways Society (Maska) encourages people to use this mode of transportation.”
Indonesian farmers refuse to budge for train line through karst landscape – [16/08/21]
“Farmers in Indonesia’s South Sulawesi province have rejected government offers to buy their land for a railway project, saying they depend on it for their livelihood.”
Uji coba Kereta Api Barru – Pangkep || kereta api Sulawesi Selatan – [11/06/21]
Video showing a test run on a section of the Makassar-Parepare railway.
First rail project on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island picks up steam – [07/06/21]
“Consortium including Chinese company targets commercial operations next year”
2020
Indonesia sees Makassar New Port has integrated industrial zone in 2022 – [22/01/20]
The Makassar New Port (MNP) “will be integrated with a bonded zone logistics center and with a 150-kilometer railway network from Makassar to the town of Parepare”.
2019
Notes from South Sulawesi: On road and rail from Makassar to Parepare – [10/04/19]
“As the AIC prepares to launch its new collaborative research program, the Partnership for Australia-Indonesia Research (PAIR), in South Sulawesi later this year, we took to the road for three days in late March to meet with the communities that live along the trans-Sulawesi highway between Makassar and Parepare.”
Governor plans to build railroad in South Sulawesi – [16/03/19]
South Sulawesi Governor HM Nurdin Abdullah plans to build a railroad in the southern part of South Sulawesi.
“There used to be a train route in the Dutch era to the south. It was what the BPPT wanted to explore,”
2018
Joint Project: Makassar-Parepare Railway guarantor signed soon – [27/11/18]
“PT Penjaminan Infrastruktur Indonesia has scheduled the signing of the Makassar-Parepare railroad cooperation project guarantee in the third week of December 2018.”
2017
Govt prioritizes Trans Sulawesi railway track – [18/06/17]
“Railway track has been approved by the central government. This year railway in South Sulawesi is prioritized. The fund is ready and we hope it will complete by 2019”.
Indonesia: partial state funding for Makassar-Parepare railway project – [29/03/17]
2016
Trans Sulawesi Railway to start operations in 2018 – [11/11/16]
“To support economic growth in Sulawesi, a lesser developed Indonesian island which possesses rich mineral resources, the first railway on the island is currently being constructed. The 1,600 km standard gauge route will connect Makassar in South Sulawesi to Manado in North Sulawesi. The Trans Sulawesi railway is planned to serve both passenger and freight service, providing a modern rail service on the underdeveloped island.”
2015
Tracklaying starts on Sulawesi railway – [16/11/15]
“The first track has been laid on the island of Sulawesi to mark the start of railway fit-out on the 145 km standard gauge route being built from provincial capital Makassar to the port of Pare Pare.”
Railway network to cover South Sulawesi – [14/11/15]
“The 145-kilometer long track is expected to be finished in 2018.”
“…the first phase of the construction would link Barru with the port city of Parepare so that agricultural produce from the regency could be easily transported to other islands in Indonesia.”
Trans-Sulawesi Railway to boost local economy without private investment – [07/09/15]
“The Government will fund the Trans-Sulawesi railway project entirely, without private investors, in hopes that it will pull foreign money to the region later.”
Trans-Sulawesi railway project to begin soon, using Chinese tracks – [28/04/15]
“The central government will start the construction of a 143-km railway line from Makassar to Parepare, both cities in South Sulawesi, in early July and will buy the tracks direct from China, an official has confirmed.”
2014
Groundbreaking starts trans-Sulawesi railway construction – [14/08/14]
“Minister of Transportation Evert Erenst Mangindaa attended a groundbreaking ceremony in Siawung on August 12 to formally launch construction of the 145 km Makassar – Pare Pare first phase of the planned trans-Sulawesi railway network.”
“A memorandum of understanding for the project was signed by the ministry and the South Sulawesi provincial government on June 1 2012.”
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