Railway Transport Development in East Sumatra, 1880s-1930s Muhammad Rivai (a*), Erond L. Damanik (b), Hafnita Sari Dewi Lubis (a), Apriani Harahap (a)
a) Department of History Education, Universitas Negeri Medan
Jalan Willem Iskandar Pasar V, Medan 20221, Indonesia
*muhammadrivai[at]unimed.ac.id
b) Department of Anthropology Education, Universitas Negeri Medan
Jalan Willem Iskandar Pasar V, Medan 20221, Indonesia
Abstract
This article examines the relationship between railway development and economic growth, population mobility, and settlement patterns in East Sumatra in the 1880s-1930s. This article uses historical methods. This study reveals that the construction of rail lines is related to the needs of planters for modern transportation to transport plantation products. The construction of railway infrastructure was carried out by Deli Spoorweg Maatschappij (DSM), a company formed in 1881 by the manager of Deli Maatschappij, J.T. Cremer. In the period 1883-1937, the DSM built 553,223 kilometers of railroads stretching from Besitang to Rantau Prapat. This transportation can reduce the time and cost of transporting plantation products to the port. The construction of rail line had a tremendous impact on settlement patterns. New residential towns developed rapidly wherever railroad stops were built. After the construction of the rail line, residents began to move from hinterland to new cities.
