Staatsspoorwegen (Dutch for State Railways, full name: Dienst der Staatsspoor- en Tramwegen in Nederlandsch–Indië (State Railways and Tramways Service in the Netherlands Indies, SS en T), commonly abbreviated as SS) was a state-owned railway company managed by the Dutch East Indies colonial government. It was absorbed into the present Kereta Api Indonesia after Indonesian independence in 1945. The main competitor was Nederlandsch-Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij (NIS) as private-owned railways company which had standard gauge and cape gauge lines.
Staatsspoorwegen operated railways with three gauges: for heavy lines, and and for tramways.
History
According to the Verslag der Handelingen van Staten-Generaal (Report of the Proceedings of the States General), there are proposals for the connection of two Nederlandsch-Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij (NIS) railway lines which are extended to Surabaya and continued to Pasuruan, and the route from Depok to the eastern region of Bogor Regency (Buitenzorg) which is said to be fertile. The proposal was made by Mr. P.P. van Bosse before the States General in November 1873 at the same time evaluating two NIS railway lines, namely Batavia-Buitenzorg and Samarang-Vorstenlanden (Surakarta and Yogyakarta) which had been operated since May 21, 1873.[1]