(⊙_⊙)
A daily article on global humanities and geography
WeChat public account: Earth Knowledge Bureau
NO.2232 - Indonesia bulk power
Author: Zhenguo Youth Cake
Draft: Darwin / Draft: Chao Qian / Editor: Tuna
With a total area of 1.919 million square kilometers, Indonesia is the largest country in Southeast Asia. It is also the widest country in Southeast Asia, spanning 5,110 kilometers from east to west, more than twice the straight-line distance from Beijing to Urumqi.
The projection method is easy to misunderstand the size
Indonesia is in the equator, eating the loss of projection, in fact, it is very big
In addition, Indonesia is also known as the "Country of Ten Thousand Islands". The country consists of about 17,506 large and small islands, only one-third of which are inhabited.
In the face of such a "bulk" land, how does Indonesia realize the interconnection between the island and the island through the transportation network?
One is particularly whole, one is particularly scattered
One is all over the rainforest and one is full of desert
One has a very large population, and one has a very small population
Inside the big island, wear and turn
Indonesia is the world's fourth most populous country (273 million) and the largest economy in Southeast Asia. In 2020, Indonesia's GDP totaled $1.058 trillion (about 6.739 trillion yuan), about three times that of neighboring Singapore (which is much lower per capita).
Indonesia is a big country in every sense of the word
Because its economy mainly relies on light industries such as food and textiles and the exploitation of natural gas, coal, tin, gold and other primitive resources, it lacks the technical capacity of hard-core construction; Coupled with the location of the Pacific Ring of Volcanic Seismic Zone, frequent earthquakes and difficult to connect the archipelago, it is not easy to develop a land network in Indonesia.
Going out to buy a dish or a relative may have to take a boat
(Photo: shutterstock)▼
In 1867, the then Dutch East Indies opened the first railway from Semarang to Donggun on the island of Java. Although the railway was only 25 kilometers, it made Indonesia the second country in Asia (after India) to open rail transport at that time.
Headquarters of the Dutch East India Company in Semarang
Because of its numerous floor-to-ceiling windows that resemble many doors, it is called "a thousand doors" by locals.
(Photo: One Map Network)▼
By 1920, most towns on the island of Java were already connected by rail, greatly improving the efficiency of transporting goods from plantations to factories. After the Japanese invasion in World War II, the original ordinary railway will be transformed to a double gauge, which will continue to increase the transportation capacity of Indonesian railways.
A double-gauge railway usually has three tracks —
Two "active tracks", one each of the two gauges, and one "shared track"
(Photo: wiki)▼
After Indonesia's independence in 1949, the construction of new railway lines became less and slower. New construction projects are also dominated by short-distance airport railway lines. In 1997, Asia suffered a financial crisis, which continued to give a blow to Indonesia's lagging development of rail transit.
Today, Indonesia's functioning rail system is very old, and only exists on the two large islands of Java and Sumatra, but it still insists on carrying the passenger and many goods transported by more than 195 million people on both islands.
Indonesia's railway system is largely concentrated on the island of Java
There is also a small part of Sumatra
(View horizontally, reference: wiki / PT KAI) ▼
As Indonesia's established state-owned enterprise and sole public railway operator, the Indonesian Railways (PT KAI) is the backbone of Indonesia's national rail transport system.
In 2019, the lines held by the Indonesian Railways received a total of 429.2 million passengers, a record high. In terms of cargo transportation, the total freight volume carried by the company's lines also increased from 24.7 million tons to 47.6 million tons in the seven years from 2013 to 2019, doubling the freight volume.
Although KAI offers numerous train lines and models
But most of them are not technologically advanced, and the shape is quite retro
(Photo: wiki)▼
Heavy transport of goods under increasing population and globalized trade has overwhelmed the railway systems of Java and Sumatra. In this regard, KAI, which shoulders the burden of transportation in the national railway system, has faced difficulties.
The company has added new momentum to the development of Indonesia's rail network by investing in electronic ticketing and operating the Palembang light rail system, and improving the airport rail system in Jakarta, Medan, Solo and other places.
During the Eid al-Fitr period in April and May, the daily operation volume of the KAI Railway continues to rise
The staff "dedicates the heart" to the Indonesian railway industry (photo: one map network)▼
With the addition of China, known as the "infrastructure maniac", Indonesia's railway is about to usher in a new era of high-speed rail. On March 31 this year, the control high-risk project of Indonesia's Yawan high-speed railway was successfully completed, and the longest cross-highway box girder erection of the whole line was successfully completed, bringing the track laying construction from Bandung to Jakarta a step closer.
High-speed rail route planning on the Indonesian island of Java
(View horizontally, reference: wiki / PT KAI) ▼
This 142-kilometer-long high-speed railway in Java is not only the first time that China's high-speed rail technology has gone abroad, but also means that the footsteps of the first high-speed railway in Southeast Asia are getting closer and closer to Indonesia. When the Yawan high-speed railway is officially put into operation, the time from Jakarta to Bandung will be shortened from the current 3 hours to 40 minutes.
At that time, the Yawan railway will use the fastest speed currently in operation
CR400AF series Fuxing trains, with a maximum speed of 350 km/h
（图：Global Construction Review）▼
Indonesia's road transport network is weaker than the rail system. The total length of roads in Indonesia is about 496,000 kilometers. Although it looks quite long, 43% of the unpaved roads are not paved. Poor road conditions, so that the highway automatically downgraded to "national highway".
On The relatively remote islands of Indonesia, private cars, taxis, motorcycles, Bajaj tricycles, etc. are the main ways for people to travel. These ways are more flexible and cost-effective for Indonesian locals. Of course, underdeveloped road traffic and the chaotic car rental market often make tourists to Indonesia get slaughtered.
Bajaj can still be seen in many small towns in China, and the names vary
This bajaj seems to enjoy treatment that it has never had in its class
(Photo: One Map Network)▼
At three million square kilometers of sea, drifting back and forth
As the world's largest archipelagic country, maritime transport plays an important role in Indonesia. Bordering countries such as Singapore, the Philippines and Australia, Indonesia has historically been a natural maritime bridge in Asia and Oceania.
According to the data, more than 40% of Indonesia's international trade is transported by sea. In addition, Indonesia has the second longest coastline in the world after Canada and ranks seventh in the world with a length of 21,579 kilometers of shipping lanes.
Indonesia's domestic transport relies heavily on sea freight
Once the sea route is interrupted, most of the islands are unable to be self-sufficient
(Landscape viewing)▼
In 1957, the Indonesian non-partisan politician Juanda issued the "Juanda Declaration", all the waters around the islands and connecting the islands in Indonesia are waters under the jurisdiction of the country's sovereignty, laying a policy foundation for the subsequent process of Indonesian maritime integration and the development of maritime transport.
In 2013, a program called the Maritime Highway Initiative began in Indonesia. From 2016 to 2021, the number of service lines in Indonesia increased from 6 to 32, and the total volume of sea freight goods increased from less than 100,000 tons to about 350,000 tons. The "Maritime Highway" program is on the move, providing equal opportunities for goods in remote and border areas across Indonesia.
Six national routes in the early days of the "Maritime Highway"
It can be seen that Surabaya is of great significance as a transportation hub between east and west in Indonesia
(Landscape viewing)▼
In 2016, the Indonesian government implemented another program called "Pendulum Nusantara". The plan aims to connect six ports: Bela Bay, Jakarta, Surabaya, Batam, Makassar and Sorong.
Belao Bay - Batam - Jakarta - Surabaya - Makassar - Sorong
This line can be said to be the national aorta of Indonesia (horizontal view)▼
This plan reduces shipping costs and tariffs through a systematic management method, so that large foreign cargo ships can directly enter eastern Indonesia without passing through the ports of Singapore and Malaysia, and ensure that basic goods such as imported rice, flour, fertilizer and cement can directly enter Indonesia.
Logistics between the archipelagos are basically by shipping, and prices are therefore not low
(Photo: wiki)▼
In addition to cargo replenishment, passenger ferries in the inter-island waters are also an important mode of transportation for Indonesian natives to shuttle between the islands. Various types of passenger ships cover most of the inhabited islands.
Indonesia's passenger transport industry is mainly divided into two categories: short-distance ferries and medium- and long-distance passenger ships. Among them, the state-owned PT. Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia (PELNI) is the main operator of Indonesian passenger ships, and its passenger service network covers all the territorial waters and most of the islands of Indonesia, and is an important bridge for people-to-people exchanges and business exchanges between the whole country of Indonesia.
Similar to trains, ferries are divided into first-class, second-class and non-seated
(Photo: One Map Network)▼
In addition, the Indonesian government will also provide subsidies to shipping service companies to reduce their operating costs. The general amount of subsidy is related to the difference between the operating costs of the ship and the freight of transporting passengers and goods.
Closer to the Big Island, in addition to taking the ferry, the construction of the cross-sea bridge has also provided a faster way of life for the people of the two places. On June 10, 2009, the 5,438-meter-long Suramadour Bridge was officially opened to traffic, becoming Indonesia's first cross-sea bridge and shortening the travel time between Surabaya and Madura to one-tenth of what it used to be. However, due to the high cost of construction of the cross-sea bridge, many small islands in Indonesia are still closed and backward.
From Surabaya, you can see the Suramadu Bridge
A dragon's ridge lying on Lampung Bay pulls the two islands
(Photo: wiki)▼
By expanding the scope of domestic commodity distribution and service distribution, trying to narrow the development gap between various regions is the key development direction of Indonesia's future sea transportation layout.
Fly around on ten thousand islands
The lack of railways and roads, the slow speed of ferries, and the high cost of cross-sea bridges have forced Indonesia, the "land of ten thousand islands", which spans three time zones, to turn its attention to the fast aviation industry to speed up economic exchanges between the islands.
With the advance of the wave of globalization, Indonesia's commercial civil aviation has exploded in the first 20 years of this century. According to the data, the number of passengers in Indonesia increased from 10 million in 2000 to 115 million in 2018, a tenfold increase.
Indonesia's annual air traffic attendance showed a steady upward trend before 2019
(Data: World Bank)▼
In terms of aircraft orders and commercial value, Indonesia's aviation industry ranks second in the world in terms of aircraft orders and commercial value, after the first-ranked mainland.
According to the International Air Transport Association, Indonesia will jump to become the world's fourth largest air travel market by 2039, with an estimated 268 million passengers per year. By then, the aviation industry will generate $77 billion (about 489.9 billion yuan) of GDP and about 6.9 million jobs per year for Indonesia.
The low-cost airlines represented by Liancheng Airlines have taken an extremely aggressive posture in recent years
Occupying the Indonesian domestic short-haul route market, this is suitable for Indonesia's geographical conditions
(Photo: shutterstock)▼
At present, There are 683 airports in Indonesia, which is about three times the number of mainland transport airports; A total of 216 routes are operated, covering almost all major cities in Indonesia.
Among them, Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport is one of the most important air traffic hubs in the country. The airport has been ranked several times among the busiest airports in the world. For example, the Indonesian domestic route from Jakarta to Surabaya/Bali ranks sixth in the world in terms of density; The international route density from Jakarta to Singapore ranks second in the world.
Blue sea and blue sky, green trees and red bricks, at first glance it thought it was a small airport
(Photo: wiki)▼
According to the International Air Transport Association, the air transport industry, including airlines and their supply chains, will still bring Indonesia about $7.38 billion (about 47 billion yuan) of GDP in 2020, even if the number of passengers caused by the epidemic has decreased by 60% compared with the previous year.
The huge aviation market has not only facilitated movement between Indonesia's islands, but also spin-off industries such as airlines, aircraft manufacturers and airport operators, but also allowed at least 115,000 Indonesians to find jobs.
In the post-pandemic era, many new jobs have also been created in the public transport industry
(Photo: shutterstock)▼
However, despite Indonesia's very promising aviation market, numerous airports and dense routes, accidents occur almost every year.
Since 1950, Garuda Indonesia alone has had 15 air crashes and 1 hijacking. Last January, a plane carrying 62 people from the capital Jakarta to Pontianak, the capital of West Kalimantan province, lost contact during the flight, killing all its crew.
The plane came from San Fo Chi Air
A total of 56 passengers and 6 crew members were carried
(Photo: wiki)▼
Today, Indonesia's aviation industry is not only facing some safety problems, but also by volcanic eruptions, global epidemics and other aspects of the critical blow, of which the continuous spread of the epidemic has seriously affected people's convenient and fast flight. Even the natives can't get out, let alone foreign tourists.
In order to stimulate the development of aviation and tourism, on the one hand, the Indonesian government began to invest in and develop new airports in Labuan Bajo, Silangit, Toraja and other places to facilitate international tourists who want to go to Komodo Island, Sulawesi and other islands; On the other hand, the gradual renovation of existing airports and the continuous construction and improvement of ground infrastructure, runways and air traffic systems strive to make Indonesia's most promising aviation industry play its due value.
When the new airport is repaired, there will usually be a grounded performance to please the head
(Photo: One Map Network)▼
Hundreds of years ago, Dutch colonists established a complete modernization system in this Southeast Asian land, forming the predecessor of this "country of ten thousand islands".
Today, the development of the land, sea and air trinity transport network has also continuously brought the islands of Indonesia closer to each other, connecting the most prosperous Java and Sumatra with the remote Aru and Vatubella islands, and connecting primitive tribes and villages with modern cities.
It can be said that the continuous improvement of the transportation system is not only related to the daily travel of Indonesians, but also related to the future of this "country of ten thousand islands".
Mountains leave people, hydration people, in the island of a thousand mountains, the bed of the ocean
Indonesia's transportation industry has converged into a beating artery in this country of ten thousand islands
(Photo: shutterstock)▼
Resources:
1.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_in_Indonesia
2.Tu, N., Adiputranto, D., Fu, X., & Li, Z. C. (2018). Shipping network design in a growth market: The case of Indonesia. Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, 117, 108-125.
3. Suri Khali. (2016).Research on Attracting Foreign Investment in Indonesian Transportation Infrastructure Construction (Master's Thesis, Guangxi University)
4.https://www.ugm.ac.id/en/news/21830-indonesia-s-maritime-highway-experts-reflect-on-progress-barriers-and-solutions
5.https://www.statista.com/topics/5822/aviation-industry-in-indonesia/#topicHeader__wrapper
6.https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/getting-around-indonesia
7.https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/indonesia-aviation
8.https://theconversation.com/indonesias-aviation-safety-has-improved-but-a-lot-remains-to-be-done-153086
9.https://openjicareport.jica.go.jp/pdf/11761467_03.pdf
*The content of this article is provided by the author and does not represent the position of the Earth Knowledge Bureau
END