Atjeh Tram

The Atjeh Tram was a railroad line in Aceh, on the island of Sumatra. It was built from 1874 by the Military engineering section of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (abbreviated KNIL in Dutch). Originally a loop for the port of Oleh Leh, it was rebuilt as a route for the transport of military goods stretching from Ule Lheu to the port of Pangkalan Susu in the Sultanate of Langkat. The line was 511 kilometers (318 mi) long, with 120 stops and stations along the way. It was finished in 1917. During the Aceh War the railroad proved of great importance for the quick transportation of troops and material. The line was also used for civilian transportation; by 1920 it moved over 4 million people and over 153,000 tonnes (151,000 long tons; 169,000 short tons) of goods. Parts of it were used even after World War II, but due also to the Acehnese rebellion the line as a whole became derelict. A study done in 2005 by the SNCF suggested that the line could be repaired, but the narrow-gauge railway (750 mm / 2 ft 5+1⁄2 in) would have to be widened to 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge.