InTimor-Leste, transportation is reduced due to the nation'spoverty, poortransportation infrastructure.
There are norailways in the country. The general condition of theroads is inadequate. The country has sixairports, one of which hascommercial andinternational flights.
Timor-Leste has no railways. However, a master plan for a 500 km (310 mi) long electrified double-track railway was proposed in 2012, with a central line fromBobonaro toLospalos, a western corridor fromDili toBetano and an eastern corridor fromBaucau toUatolari.[1][2]
Timor-Leste has a road network of 6,041 km (3,754 mi), of which about 2,600 km (1,600 mi) of roads are paved, and about 3,440 km (2,140 mi) are unpaved.
The road network is made up of national roads linking municipal capitals (~1,500 km (930 mi)), municipal roads linking municipal capitals to towns and villages (~870 km (540 mi)), urban roads within urban areas (~717 km (446 mi)) and rural roads within rural areas (~3,112 km (1,934 mi)).[3]
As of 2003, Timor-Leste's main arterial roads were located along the north coast, and there were good sealed roads in and around urban centres. The central mountain ridge is rugged with a maximum elevation of 3,000 m (9,800 ft)AMSL. In 2003, it could be crossed by road in several places, but the mountain roads were poorly maintained unsealed one-two lane tracks. Roads on the south coast were mostly unsealed and in poor condition.[4]
In a 2015 survey reported by the World Bank, 57% of the rural roads were rated either bad or poor.
While under Portuguese rule, East Timor's road system, like the road network in all Portuguese colonies, adhered to right-hand drive. After the Indonesian takeover in 1975, the roads were made to switch to left-hand drive (like virtually all of present-day Indonesia). Upon independence in 2002 the left-hand traffic rule was retained.
Timor-Leste has 20 arterial roads, designated as A-class roads (national roads), as follows:[5]
No | From | To | Length (km) | Length (mi) |
---|---|---|---|---|
A01 | Dili | Com, Lautém | 203.9 | 126.7 |
A02<1 | Dili | Suai | 176.4 | 109.6 |
A03 | Dili | Mota Ain | 118.2 | 73.4 |
A03' | Batugade | Maliana | 42.4 | 26.3 |
A04 | Tibar [de] | Ermera | 46.8 | 29.1 |
A05 | Aitotu [de] | Betano | 55.6 | 34.5 |
A06 | Baucau | Viqueque | 64.9 | 40.3 |
A07 | Viqueque | Natarbora [de] | 46.0 | 28.6 |
A08 | Lautém | Viqueque | 121.7 | 75.6 |
A09 | Manatuto | Natarbora [de] | 79.5 | 49.4 |
A10 | Ermera | Hauba [de] | 66.9 | 41.6 |
A11 | Maliana | Ermera | 64.7 | 40.2 |
A12 | Zumalai | Maliana | 52.5 | 32.6 |
A13 | Cassa | Aiassa [de] | 25.1 | 15.6 |
A14 | Betano | Natarbora [de] | 47.7 | 29.6 |
A15 | Suai | Uemassa | 27.5 | 17.1 |
A16 | Uele'o | Tilomar [de] | 33.4 | 20.8 |
A17 | Pante Macassar | Oesilo | 25.3 | 15.7 |
A18 | Pante Macassar | Citrana | 44.9 | 27.9 |
A19 | Pante Macassar | Sacato | 14.8 | 9.2 |
Total | 1,358.2 | 843.9 |
In October 2016, theEast Timorese government symbolically launched a rehabilitation project for theDili–Manatuto–Baucau national road. Construction was to be undertaken in two sections, Dili–Manatuto, and Manatuto–Baucau, in each case by a Chinese construction company. The project was financed by the General State Budget, and also from a loan fund from the Japanese government, through theJapan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). It was due to be completed in mid-2019,[2] and the completed road was officially inaugurated on 26 August 2022.[6]
According to a road network connectivity quality assessment published in September 2019, the national road network already satisfactorily connected all national activity centres for alltypes of vehicles in circulation. However, some of the road segments needed to be improved, in terms of road width, drainage, geometric design and traffic facilities.[7]
As of 2003, Timor-Leste had 450 road bridges. They were well constructed, but a few important bridges in the south of the country were either not in service or uncompleted. Where a bridge was not in service, the relevant stream was shallow and for most of the year could be forded.[4]
Two road bridges over theComoro River link central Dili with the west side of the city, including thePresidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport and theTibar Bay port, which as at early 2022 was due to start operations later that year. The more important of these two bridges is theCPLP Bridge; its alternative, approximately 800 m (2,600 ft) to its south, is theHinode Bridge.[8]
At the north eastern corner of central Dili, theB. J. Habibie Bridge spans theClaran River [de], and connects central Dili with the eastern waterfront of theBay of Dili.[9]
This bridge, also known as the Tono Bridge, wasinaugurated in 2017 as part of the ZEESM TL project inOecusse.
Total
Ships by type
Routes
In July 2022, thePresident of Indonesia,Joko Widodo, urged the government of Timor-Leste to open a shipping route betweenKupang, Dili, andDarwin, to boost sea lane connectivity.[12]
As of 2019[update], Timor-Leste had eight airports. The three major ones werePresidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport in Dili,Cakung or Baucau Airport in Baucau, andSuai Airport in Suai. Only the first two of these were designed as international airports.[13]
The airport at Dili is the main international airport. As of 2022, commercial scheduled service was also provided at Suai Airport, andOecusse Airport inPante Macassar.[14] Local airports includedViqueque Airport inViqueque.
No airport in Timor-Leste is officially available for night operations, but the government permits such operations in emergencies.[13]
8 (2012)
Media related toTransport in East Timor at Wikimedia Commons