The early history of the train in Java

"Semarang became the first city in Southeast Asia to develop its own railway line."

The turnery of the workshops at the Station at Samarang. Source: Rijksmuseum (Woodbury & Page, 1860 - 1875)

Although the government did not immediately respond, the concept of a steam railway in Java had been in the planning stages since 1840 in an attempt to improve the transport of plantation products. It was only after the British successfully opened a railway line in India in 1853 that plans to build a railway line in Java began to be seriously pursued.

At first, the proposed railway was Semarang-Ungaran-Salatiga since there was a military garrison. The other proposed the railway be built from Semarang to Yogyakarta through Solo on the grounds that those places were export plant regions. The second option was decided on and Nederlandsche Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij has been given concession to the railway.

On 17 June 1864, Gouverneur General, Mr. Baron Sloet van de Beele did an opening ceremony in Tambaksari as a beginning sign of Semarang-Vorstenlanden railway development. The station location is relatively far from the settlement but near the harbour for the purpose of facilitating the transporting of goods from carriage to the ships and vice versa.

On 10 August 1867, Semarang Station started on transporting service for the Semarang-Tanggung line. It became the first railway opened in Southeast Asia and was the second in Asia.