Sumatra has a small railway network that operates in different provinces of the island. The eventual plan is to build a railway network that will form the Trans-Sumatra Railway.
The railway system of Sumatra is fragmented and not of great use for tourists. If you plan your itinerary right, there are a few lines that you can incorporate into your trip.
If you are interested in travelling by train in Sumatra, or you just want to see the trains, then here is the list of every railway line in Sumatra.
Index
Links and tickets
Sumatra railway maps
Aceh
Kutablang – Krueng Geukueh
North Sumatra
Medan – Kualanamu International Airport
Medan – Binjai – Kuala Bingai
Binjai – Besitang (under construction)
Medan – Belawan (discontinued)
Medan – Siantar (train and bus to Lake Toba)
Medan – Tanjung Balai (for ferries to Malaysia and Singapore)
Medan – Rantau Prapat
Tebing Tinggi – Lalang
West Sumatra
Padang – Minangkabau International Airport
Padang – Naras
Lubuk Alung – Kayu Tanam
Padang Panjang – Sawahlunto (discontinued)
Riau
Pekanbaru Death Railway (relics from WWII Sumatra Railway)
South Sumatra and Lampung
Palembang – Indralaya
Palembang – Lubuk Linggau
Palembang – Bandar Lampung
Links and tickets
Railways in Sumatra are operated by public railway operator Kereta Api Indonesia.
Official website: kai.id
There is no English option on the official website, and no maps.
Tickets can be bought online for the long-distance services, otherwise you can just buy tickets on the day at the stations.
Sumatra railway maps
This map lists every passenger service in Sumatra, grouped by province.
[Map of Sumatra railways.]
The Sumatra railway map on the Wiki Rail transport in Indonesia page shows a combination of closed, active, and proposed lines.
[Sumatra railway network. Only red, dark red, brown, green, and blue-colored thick lines are still active Map by RaFaDa20631 via Wikimedia Commons. View full size.]
Aceh
Aceh has one operating line, and there are plans to connect the provincial capital of Banda Aceh to Medan.
Kutablang – Krueng Geukueh
This route map is from the North Sumatra map at Medan Station.
North Sumatra
Medan is the largest city in Sumatra, and it’s the hub of the largest railway system in Sumatra.
[Medan Station.]
Medan Station has the most detailed railway maps I have seen for Sumatra, but I can’t find these online.
[North Sumatra Railway Service Network Map.]
Medan – Kualanamu International Airport
Kualanamu International Airport is the airport of Medan, and it is connected to Medan by an airport rail link.
Here is my review of the Kualanamu Airport Rail Link.
Medan – Binjai – Kuala Bingai
Binjai is a neighbouring city of Medan, and this service is a commuter railway.
Binjai Station has retained its colonial-era building.
[Binjai Station.]
There are also two services a day to Kuala Bingai (timed for commuters).
Binjai – Besitang (under construction)
The old Binjai-Besitang Railway is being restored, and it will eventually form part of the railway connecting Medan to Banda Aceh. The North Sumatra network map at Medan Station shows a lightly-coloured line in anticipation of the line rejoining the network.
The stations of the Binjai-Besitang Railway include:
Binjai
Kuala Bingai
Stabat
Tanjung Pura
Tanjung Selamat
Gabang
Pangkalan Brandan
Besitang
Here is a progress report of the Binjai-Besitang Railway Reactivation Project from 2019.
Medan – Belawan (discontinued)
The line from the port of Belawan to Medan no longer operates passenger services. Some maps show the line greyed-out. KAI have a history page of Belawan Station.
Medan – Siantar
[Early morning train from Siantar.]
Medan to Siantar is the one service that is of most use to tourists (if you plan accordingly).
Siantar is three quarters of the way to Lake Toba, and the line may eventualy be extended from Siantar to Parapat (for Lake Toba).
Here is how to get the train and bus combo from Medan to Lake Toba.
Medan – Tanjung Balai
The Tanjung Balai line branches off at Kisaran.
There is a passenger ferry from Tanjung Balai to Port Dickson in Malaysia and from Tanjung Balai to Singapore.
Medan – Rantau Prapat
Medan to Rantau Prapat is the longest train service in North Sumatra (266 km). There are three services per day in each direction.
[Medan – Rantau Prapat timetable.]
Tebing Tinggi – Lalang
Passenger service between Tebing Tinggi and Lalang.
West Sumatra
West Sumatra has a fragmented railway system that operates in the corridors that were established in the colonial era. There have been calls to reactivate some of the railways.
Stakeholders must fully support railway reactivation in West Sumatra – [28/05/23]
“The West Sumatra Provincial Government advocates for the reinstatement of trains from Padang Panjang to Bukittinggi. Furthermore, there must be a major growth in interest in the use of airport trains.”
W Sumatra railway reactivation to maintain heritage value: official – [22/11/21]
Transportation Ministry targets rail line reactivation in West Sumatra – [15/11/21]
– Plans to reactivate the Naras-Sungai Limau rail line.
– Improve the condition of Padang-Bukit Putus-Pauh Limo Padang line
– Enhance security facilities at Padang-Pariaman and Simpang Haru-Pulau Air lines
– Normalize the Sawahlunto rail line for tourism purposes
Padang – Minangkabau International Airport
The Minangkabau Express is the airport rail link connecting Padang city to Minangkabau International Airport.
Padang – Naras
Padang to the oastal city of Naras.
Lubuk Alung – Kayu Tanam
Rail Bus Lembah Anai operates from Lubuk Alung is a Kayu Tanam. Older articles mention a service from Minangkabau Airport to Kayu Tanam.
This line was part of the Pulau Aie–Padang Panjang railway. There are calls to restore the railway to adang Panjang and onwards to Bukittinggi.
Here is a review of the Railbus Lembah Anai from Lubuk Alung to Kayu Tanam.
Padang Panjang – Sawahlunto (discontinued)
The Padang Panjang – Sawahlunto tourism train operated on the old caol railway that connected Sawahlunto to Padang.
The tourism train ran along Singkarak Lake to the historic coal-mining town of Sawahlunto. The service has been discontinued.
Here is an article from 2009 about the Padang Panjang – Sawah Lunto train.
There is now a railway museum at Sawahlunto.
Riau
There are no passenger railways in Riau Province yet. The capital city of Pekanbaru is included in the Trans-Sumatra Railway project, and there are plans to extend the railway from Rantau Prapat in North Sumatra to Pekanbaru.
Pekanbaru Death Railway
If you search for “Sumatra Railway” you are more likely to find information about the Pekanbaru Death Railway from World War II. Unlike the Thailand-Burma Railway, none of the Sumatra line is reused today.
If you are interested in the history and tracking down remnants of the line, pekanbarudeathrailway.com has maps and descriptions for all of the sections of the railway.
There is memorial dedicated to the workers (r?musha) of the railway in Pekanbaru. The memorial includes an old engine (Monumen Loko Uap Esslingen C33-22), and next to this is the Heroes Cemetery.
Hunting down History behind Riau Locomotive – [14/06/13]
“The Locomotive Monument and Labor Heroes Monument (Monumen Lokomotif and Tugu Pahlawan Kerja) are located in Pekanbaru, Riau, Sumatra. However, people only regard these monuments as merely a display.”
South Sumatra and Lampung
South Sumatra has a railway network that was built to transport coal from the mines to the port in Palembang. Limited passenger services run on these lines in South Sumatra and Lampung Province.
Palembang is the capital of South Sumatra and main rail hub is Kertapati Railway Station. The station is in Palembang, but ticket booking websites show Kertapati.
[Stasiun Kertapati in Palembang.]
Palembang also has a light rail system that connects that airport to the city centre. The Palembang LRT is the only urban rail transit system in Sumatra.
Palembang – Indralaya
Commuter railway from Kertapati (Palembang) to Indralaya.
[Railbus Kertalaya at Kertapati.]
Palembang – Lubuk Linggau
Palembang (Kertapati) to Lubuk Linggau.
Palembang – Bandar Lampung
The Palembang (Kertapati) to Bandar Lampung (Tanjung Karang) service is the only intercity train in Sumatra (defined as connecting two provincial capitals).
Here is my review of getting the train from Palembang to Bandar Lampung.
[Tanjung Karang Station in Bandar Lampung.]
This train travel article is part of the Southeast Asia rail travel series.