Reactivation of the railway line from Surabaya to Madura: Enhancing regional connectivity and transportation infrastructure

Abstract

Indonesia is facing severe congestion and high accident rates as motor vehicle growth continues to outpace road capacity, underscoring the urgent need for alternative mass transportation. A promising solution is the reactivation of the Surabaya–Madura railway, an abandoned infrastructure with significant potential to enhance regional connectivity and urban mobility. However, academic studies on railway reactivation remain limited, particularly in the Madura context where dependence on road-based transport persists. This research gap highlights the importance of examining reactivation not only as a transportation alternative but also as a catalyst for regional development. This study adopts a qualitative approach through descriptive surveys to evaluate infrastructure conditions, identify feasible routes, and analyze broader spatial implications. Findings reveal that railway reactivation could strengthen multimodal integration, reduce congestion, and support sustainable growth. This study provides the first empirical evidence of the strategic value of the Surabaya–Madura railway within Indonesia’s transport and regional development discourse.

Keywords

Railway reactivation / Regional connectivity / Urban mobility / Sustainable development

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Jenny Caroline: Writing – review & editing, Writing – original draft, Methodology. Slamet Budi Utomo: Writing – original draft, Validation. Basil David Daniel: Writing – original draft, Validation. Gunawan Gunawan: Writing – review & editing, Writing – original draft, Software.

Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work reported in this paper.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank for the collaboration between Muhammadiyah University Surabaya (Indonesia) and Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia.

References

[1] Z. Guo, N.H.M. Wilson, Sustainable Urban Transport Planning: Concepts, Implementations, and Evaluation, Springer, Cham, 2021, pp. 345-360.

[2] M. Korytov, Aspects of using ground and above-ground transport for urban passenger transportation, Trans. Res. Proc. 36(2018) 341-346.

[3] L.C.F. Bertolini, Planning and Transport in the Smart City, Springer, Heidelberg, 2019.

[4] D. Banister, Transportation and regional development: A review of policies and practices, J. Transp. Geogr. 125(2021) 103058.

[5] M.S.e.-a. Marko Sostarica, Sustainability of public transport in rural areas –case study city of Jastrebarsko, Promet Traffic Transp. 32(2020) 372-377.

[6] W.S. Suryanto, Pengaruh pembangunan infrastruktur tranportasi terhadap pemerataan ekonomi di madura, J. Ekon. Dan. Kebijak. Publik Drh. 1(2019) 87-102.

[7] M.N.F.Y. Adi, Pengembangan sistem perkeretaapian regional: Studi kasus Madura, Prosiding Seminar Nasional Transportasi Darat, Prosiding Seminar Nasional Transportasi Darat, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), 2020, pp. 45–52.

[8] G. Gunawan, An-Nahl, the multifunction transportation system, AIP Conf. Proc. 2702(2023)020009.

[9] A.R.I. Supriyanto, Heritage railways as a tool for regional connectivity: A study of Madura’s abandoned rail lines, J. Transp. Hist. 42(3)(2021) 345-360.

[10] R.C.P. Silva, Studi Kasus: Revitalization of the São Paulo–Rio de janeiro railway line, Brazil, Int. J. Sustain. Dev. Plan. 17(3)(2022) 789-805.

[11] A.P.D. Ivanov, Studi Kasus: Reactivation of the Trans-Siberian railway, Russia, J. Transp. Geogr. 75(2018) 102834.

[12] J. Whitelegg, Revitalization of disused railways: The case of the East-West rail link in the UK, J. Transp. Geogr. 1(3)(2020) 102732.

[13] M.L.G. Greer, Railway line reactivation in rural areas: A study from Northern Ireland, Transp. Polic. 80(2019) 102-111.

[14] S. Rahayu, Analisis potensi pengembangan jalur kereta api wisata di madura, J. Pariwisata Dan. Perkeretaapi. 9(2)(2021) 112-125.

[15] K.R.R.B.L. Geurs, Public–private–community partnerships in urban transport planning: a review of international practices, Transp. Polic. 96(2020) 123-134.

[16] A.M.T. Putri, Strategi Pengembangan infrastruktur transportasi multimoda di Kawasan timur Indonesia, J. Transp. Dan. Logist. Unpa. 7(1)(2019) 33-47.

[17] K.W.R.D. Priyadi, Jakarta’s mass rapid transit (MRT) development: Challenges and opportunities, J. Tek. Sipil IT. 27(2020) 89-98.

[18] P.S.D. Priyadi, Regulatory framework for railway development in developing countries: A case study of Indonesia, J. Huk. Dan. Kebijak. Transp. Univ. Brawijay. 1(1)(2018) 45-60.

[19] J.-P. Rodrigue, The Geography of Transport Systems, Routledge, New York, 2020.

[20] A.T.P.H. Wibowo, Intermodal transport integration in coastal cities: The case of Suramadu bridge and future railway extension, J. Transp. Dan. Infrastruktur IT (2022) 45-58.

[21] J. Whitelegg, Railway line reactivation and its impact on urban spatial structure: A case study of the East-West rail link in the UK, J. Transp. Geogr. 85(2020) 102732.

[22] M.N.P.H. Adi, Feasibility study of rail–port integration in eastern Indonesia: The case of Surabaya and Makassar, J. Transp. Dan. Infrastruktur IT (2022) 55-68.

[23] A.T.F. Gunawan, Railway policy and regulatory reform in Southeast Asia: The Indonesian experience, Asian J. Law Soc. 10(1)(2021) 89-105.

[24] R.A.T.R.L. Mars, Qualitative research in travel behavior studies, Transp. Res. Proc. 18(2016) 434-445.

[25] H. Febrianto, Penggunaan metode survei deskriptif dalam studi transportasi Perkotaan, J. Tek. Geomatik. 16(1)(2020) 67-79.

[26] M.B.R. Taylor, Field Research in Urban and Regional Planning: Methods and Applications, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2019.

[27] G.A.F. Fathi, Railway track condition assessment at newwork level by GPR and signal analysis, Remote Sens. 10(4)(2018) 559.

[28] J.C.M.D.Z.B.A. Sperka, Evaluasion methodology of the railway station using the AHP method in the transport hubs the freight transport point of view, Infrastructur. 8(12)(2023) 177.

[29] R.N.B.D.T.I.N.M.S. Siewwuttanagul, Identifying the arrangement of activities of corridor spaces in transit station, Int J. Build. Urban Inter. Landsc. Technol. 10(2017) 17-26.

[30] H.D. Xu, T. Yang, Extracting spatial interaction pattern between urban road networks and mixed functions, arXiv:2211.01545.

[31] T.T.Y.M.N. Su, Urban public space quality evaluation methods and practice in China, J. Urban Manag.(2023).

[32] M. El-Fath, Assessing the quality of urban plaza: Spatial configuration and users behavior, Front Arch. Res (2020).

[33] F.G.P.S.E. Jaquet, The historical development of railway lines in Surabaya: From colonial era to modern times, J. Southeast Asian Stud. 51(3)(2020) 456-472.

[34] R.J.A. Indrastuti, Analyzing contruction risk factors in large-scale projects: Case study on the Suramadu bridge, LEADER: Civ. Eng. Archit. J., 2(6)(2020).

[35] A. Soimun, A.A.B.O. Krisna, N.W. Gautamn, et al. Analysis of railway station development potential in madura with railway reactivation, J. Teknol. Transp. Dan. Logist. 3(2)(2022) 167-172.

[36] A.W.D.C. Aghastya, Perencanaan jalur kereta api lintas Kamal-Surabaya, J. Perkeretaapi. Indones. 1(2)(2023) 45-54.

[37] R.P.D. Wijaya, Suramadu bridge and the potential for railway integration: A strategic approach to regional development, Int. J. Sustain. Dev. Plan. 16(3)(2021) 345-359.

[38] U. Heriqbaldi, W.W. Wardana, I.R. Jamil, et al., Bridging the gap: The impact of Surabadu bridge provision on poverty reduction in Madura Island, Indonesia, Soc. Sci. Humanit. Ope. 12(2025) 101740.

[39] M. Effendi, Dampak pembangunan jembatan surabadu terhadap perkembangan wilayah kecamatan labang dan burneh, J. Pembangunan Wilayah dan Kot. 10(1)(2014) 88-97.

[40] O. M, European Port Cities in Transition – Chapter on the Port-city Interface and Implication for Land Use, Transport and Socio-economic Change, Springer/Routledge, 2020.

[41] A.O.E. Monzón, Reactivating rail lines and its impact on regional urbanization: A case study approach, Res. Transp. Econ. (2020), 100904.

[42] O. Arisinta, Pengaruh pembangunan jembatan suramadu terhadap perekonomian masyarakat di kabupaten bangkalan, J. Widya Amrit. 9(2)(2016) 67.

[43] K.R.M. Tanaka, Urban complexity and the role of green infrastructure in peripheral cities, Urban For. Urban Green. 71(2022) 127654.

[44] A.K.R. Setiawan, Enhancing railway services in rural areas: the role of station and track upgrad, Transp. Plan. Technol. 43(4)(2020) 345-360.

[45] A.K.S.S.R.A. Qureshi, Transport infrastructure development and its effect on environmental sustainability, Eng. Proc. 1(1)(2025) 1-8.

[46] S.K.M.A. Ahmed, The evolution of urban design elements in response to increased connectivity: a case study of Asian cities, Urban Stud. 57(10)(2020) 2134-2152.

[47] A.A.B.O.A.S.S.W. Astuti, Selection of alternative railway trace in Bangkalan district using the AHP method, J. Perkeretaapi. Indones., 1(2)(2019).

[48] E.R. Samsuni, Perencanaan komponen jalur rel pada trase terpilih di kabupaten bangkalan, J. Kacapur. 6(2)(2023) 89-92.

[49] A.T.D. Yanti, Dampak kebijakan pembangunan suramadu terhadap sosial ekonomi masyarakat dalam pengembangan wilayah jembatan suramadu (Studi di Desa Sukolilo Barat Kecamatan Labang Bangkalan, J. Adm. Publik Mhs. Brawijay. 1(2)(2013) 147-154.