Medan Train Station, 1900s

Photo: Carl Josef Kleingrothe/National Gallery of Australia

The increasing investment in mining and plantations in North Sumatra made the Dutch East Indies government build transportation infrastructure for the transportation of these commodities. Also to transport people to new growth centers.

In 1886 the Medan Train Station was inaugurated with the Medan-Labuhan line. After that, it was continued from Labuhan to Belawan whose route was opened 2 years later. Thus, the railway stretched from Medan to the Port of Belawan. The connectivity between these modes of transportation is very important to accelerate regional economic growth.

The photo above is the Medan Train Station around the 1900s. You can see in the photo the main Dutch station building, as well as the train platform and depot. There was also a series of trains and passengers waiting on the platform. At that time the train carriages were still made of wood and creaked as the train moved.

Unfortunately, the current form of the Medan Train Station has changed a lot. The railway infrastructure of the Dutch East Indies era, including the stations, should be preserved as historical heritage and be maintained in shape.