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Indonesia's transport system has been shaped over time by the economic resource base of an archipelago with thousands of islands, and the distribution of its more than 200 million people highly concentrated on a single island which is Java. All transport modes play a role in the country’s transport system and are generally complementary rather than competitive. Road transport is predominant, with a total system length of 370,500 km in 2003. The railway system has four unconnected networks in Java and Sumatra primarily dedicated to transport bulk commodities and long-distance passenger traffic. Sea transport is extremely important for economic integration and for domestic and foreign trade. It is well developed, with each of the major islands having at least one significant port city. The role of inland waterways is relatively minor and is limited to certain areas of Eastern Sumatra and Kalimantan. The function of air transport is significant, particularly where land or water transport is deficient or non-existent. It is based on an extensive domestic airline network where all major cities can be reached by passenger plane.
Indonesia has 21,579 km of navigable waterways (2005), of which about one half are on Kalimantan, and a quarter each on Sumatra and Papua. Waterways are highly needed because the rives on these islands are not wide enough to hold medium-sized ships. In addition to this, roads and railways are not good options since Kalimantan and Papua are not like Java, which is a highly developed island. With the current length of waterways, Indonesia ranked seven on the countries with longest waterways rant.
Major ports and harbors include Cilacap, Cirebon, Jakarta, Kupang, Palembang, Semarang, Surabaya, and Makassar. Ports are managed by the various Indonesia Port Corporations, of which there are four, numbered I through IV. Each has jurisdiction over various regions of the country, with I in the west and IV in the east.
A wide variety of vehicles are used for transportation on Indonesia's roads. Bus services are available in most areas connected to the road network. Between major cities, especially on Sumatra, Java, and Bali, services are frequent and direct; many services are available with no stops until the final destination. In more remote areas, and between smaller towns, most services are provided with minibuses or small vans. Buses and vans are also the primary form of transportation within cities. Many cities and towns have some form of transportation for hire available as well, such as taxis, Busways and motorized autorickshaws (bajaj). Cycle rickshaws, called becak in Indonesia, are common in many cities, and provide an inexpensive form of in-town transportation. They have been blamed for causing traffic congestion and banned from most parts of central Jakarta. Horse-drawn carts are found in some cities and towns. Private cars are far too expensive for the majority of the population, and are uncommon except in larger cities. Indonesia has about 213,649 km of paved highways and about 154,711 km of unpaved highways (2002 estimate). Indonesia has some toll roads. The most expensive is the Cipularang Toll road that connects Jakarta and Bandung. Here are some Indonesian toll roads : Java : Jakarta Inner Ringroad Planned : Sumatra : Planned :
Most railways in Indonesia are on Java, which has two major rail lines that run the length of the island, as well as several minor lines. Passenger and freight service runs on all of the lines. There is also commuter rail service in the Jakarta metropolitan area, and Surabaya and the vicinities. A monorail mass transit system is under construction in Jakarta. The only other areas in Indonesia having railroads are two separate regions of Sumatra, one in the north around Medan, and one near the southern tip.
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Waterways
