Editing Transport in Timor-Leste

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is a legitimate description when the title is already adequate; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{EngvarB|date=April 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}
[[File:Bus, National Highway 1 (East Timor), 2018 (04).jpg|thumb|300px|A Baucau–Dili bus on national road A01, 2018]]

In '''Timor-Leste''', transportation is reduced due to the nation's [[poverty]], poor [[transportation infrastructure]].

There are no [[Rail transport|railways]] in the country. The general condition of the [[road]]s is inadequate. The country has six [[airport]]s, one of which has [[Commercial aviation|commercial]] and [[international flight]]s.

==Railways==
Timor-Leste has no railways. However, a master plan for a {{cvt|500|km}} long electrified double-track railway was proposed in 2012, with a central line from [[Bobonaro]] to [[Lospalos]], a western corridor from [[Dili]] to [[Betano]] and an eastern corridor from [[Baucau]] to [[Uatolari]].<ref>Ricardo Nunes: [https://de.slideshare.net/RicardoNunes20/east-timor-rail-master-plan-slsh ''East-Timor Rail Master Plan.''] Presented by Lafaek Besi Lda, Development Company, Dilii, Timor-Leste in May 2012.</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://timor-leste.gov.tl/?p=16583&n=1&lang=en|title=Ministry of Public Works rehabilitates the Dili-Manatuto-Baucau road|date=24 October 2016|website=Government of Timor-Leste|access-date=14 April 2019}}</ref>

==Roadways==
===Overview===
Timor-Leste has a road network of {{cvt|6,041|km}}, of which about {{cvt|2,600|km}} of roads are paved, and about {{cvt|3,440|km}} are unpaved.

The road network is made up of national roads linking municipal capitals (~{{cvt|1500|km}}), municipal roads linking municipal capitals to towns and villages (~{{cvt|870|km}}), urban roads within urban areas (~{{cvt|717|km}}) and rural roads within rural areas (~{{cvt|3112|km}}).<ref>{{cite web |title=2.3 Timor-Leste Road Network - Logistics Capacity Assessment - Digital Logistics Capacity Assessments |url=https://lca.logcluster.org/23-timor-leste-road-network |website=dlca.logcluster.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240918171120/https://lca.logcluster.org/23-timor-leste-road-network |archive-date=18 September 2024 |url-status=live |publisher=[[World Food Programme]] |access-date=5 February 2025}}</ref>

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 {{cvt|3000|m}} [[Height above mean sea level|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.<ref name="unescap 2003">{{cite report |author= |date=2003 |title=Atlas of Mineral Resources of the ESCAP Region |volume=17 Geology and Mineral Resources of Timor-Leste |url=http://www.unescap.org/esd/publications/AMRS17.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130319093215/http://www.unescap.org/esd/publications/AMRS17.pdf |archive-date=19 March 2013 |location=New York |publisher=[[United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific]] (UNESCAP) |page=6 |docket= |access-date=5 February 2025}}</ref>

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.

===National roads===
Timor-Leste has 20 arterial roads, designated as A-class roads (national roads), as follows:<ref name="jica 2010">{{cite web |title=The Project for the Capacity Development of Road Works in Timor: Outline of the Project {{!}} Technical Cooperation Projects |url=https://www.jica.go.jp/project/english/easttimor/001/outline/index.html |website=[[Japan International Cooperation Agency]] (JICA) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130129184155/https://www.jica.go.jp/project/english/easttimor/001/outline/index.html |archive-date=29 January 2013 |access-date=5 October 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! scope="col" | {{abbr|No|Road number}}
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | From
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | To
! scope="col" | Length<br />(km)
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Length<br />(mi)
|-
|{{nts|prefix=A0|01}}
|[[Dili]]
|Com, Lautém
|{{Convert|203.9|km|mi|disp = table}}
|-
|{{nts|prefix=A0|2}}<sup><1</sup>
|[[Dili]]
|[[Suai, Timor-Leste|Suai]]
|{{Convert|176.4|km|mi|disp = table}}
|-
|{{nts|prefix=A0|3}}
|[[Dili]]
|[[Mota Ain]]
|{{Convert|118.2|km|mi|disp = table}}
|-
|{{nts|prefix=A0|3}}'
|[[Batugade]]
|[[Maliana]]
|{{Convert|42.4|km|mi|disp = table}}
|-
|{{nts|prefix=A0|4}}
|{{ill|Tibar|de}}
|[[Ermera]]
|{{Convert|46.8|km|mi|disp = table}}
|-
|{{nts|prefix=A0|5}}
|{{ill|Aitotu|de}}
|[[Betano]]
|{{Convert|55.6|km|mi|disp = table}}
|-
|{{nts|prefix=A0|6}}
|[[Baucau]]
|[[Viqueque]]
|{{Convert|64.9|km|mi|disp = table}}
|-
|{{nts|prefix=A0|7}}
|[[Viqueque]]
|{{ill|Uma Boco|de|lt=Natarbora}}
|{{Convert|46.0|km|mi|disp = table}}
|-
|{{nts|prefix=A0|8}}
|[[Lautém (city)|Lautém]]
|[[Viqueque]]
|{{Convert|121.7|km|mi|disp = table}}
|-
|{{nts|prefix=A0|9}}
|[[Manatuto]]
|{{ill|Uma Boco|de|lt=Natarbora}}
|{{Convert|79.5|km|mi|disp = table}}
|-
|{{nts|prefix=A|10}}
|[[Ermera]]
|{{ill|Colimau|de|lt=Hauba}}
|{{Convert|66.9|km|mi|disp = table}}
|-
|{{nts|prefix=A|11}}
|[[Maliana]]
|[[Ermera]]
|{{Convert|64.7|km|mi|disp = table}}
|-
|{{nts|prefix=A|12}}
|[[Zumalai]]
|[[Maliana]]
|{{Convert|52.5|km|mi|disp = table}}
|-
|{{nts|prefix=A|13}}
|Cassa
|{{ill|Ai-Assa|de|lt=Aiassa}}
|{{Convert|25.1|km|mi|disp = table}}
|-
|{{nts|prefix=A|14}}
|[[Betano]]
|{{ill|Uma Boco|de|lt=Natarbora}}
|{{Convert|47.7|km|mi|disp = table}}
|-
|{{nts|prefix=A|15}}
|[[Suai, Timor-Leste|Suai]]
|Uemassa
|{{Convert|27.5|km|mi|disp = table}}
|-
|{{nts|prefix=A|16}}
|Uele'o
|{{ill|Tilomar|de}}
|{{Convert|33.4|km|mi|disp = table}}
|-
|{{nts|prefix=A|17}}
|[[Pante Macassar]]
|[[Oesilo]]
|{{Convert|25.3|km|mi|disp = table}}
|-
|{{nts|prefix=A|18}}
|[[Pante Macassar]]
|[[Citrana]]
|{{Convert|44.9|km|mi|disp = table}}
|-
|{{nts|prefix=A|19}}
|[[Pante Macassar]]
|[[Sacato, Timor-Leste|Sacato]]
|{{Convert|14.8|km|mi|disp = table}}
|- style="background: #EAECF0;"
|colspan="3" style=text-align:right|'''Total'''
|{{Convert|1358.2|km|mi|disp = table}}
|-
|}

In October 2016, the [[East Timor]]ese government symbolically launched a rehabilitation project for the [[Dili]]–[[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 the [[Japan International Cooperation Agency]] (JICA). It was due to be completed in mid-2019,<ref name=":0" /> and the completed road was officially inaugurated on 26 August 2022.<ref name="jica 2022-08-29">{{cite web |title=National Road No.1, Closely Connecting Dili and Baucau, Opens Under Timor-Leste's First Loan Project |url=https://www.jica.go.jp/english/news/press/2022/20220829_21_en.html |website=[[Japan International Cooperation Agency]] |access-date=4 September 2022 |date=29 August 2022}}</ref>

According to a road network connectivity quality assessment published in September 2019, the national road network already satisfactorily connected all national activity centres for all
types 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.<ref name="babo 2019-09">{{cite journal |last1=Babo |first1=Frans de Jesus |last2=Suprayitno |first2=Hitapriya |title=Road Network Connectivity Quality {{sic|Asses|ment|nolink=y}} for Timor Leste National Road Network |journal=Journal of Infrastructure and Facility Asset Management |date=September 2019 |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=113–212, at 120 |url=https://iptek.its.ac.id/index.php/jifam/article/download/5974/3969 |access-date=28 February 2022}}</ref>

== Bridges ==
===Overview===
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.<ref name="unescap 2003"/>

===Bridges in Dili===
[[File:2019-06-14 Ponte CPLP Comoro.jpg|thumb|The [[CPLP Bridge]] in Dili during the dry season in 2019|alt=The CPLP Bridge in Dili during the dry season in 2019]]

Two road bridges over the [[Comoro River]] link central Dili with the west side of the city, including the [[Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport]] and the [[Tibar Bay]] port, which as at early 2022 was due to start operations later that year. The more important of these two bridges is the [[CPLP Bridge]]; its alternative, approximately {{cvt|800|m}} to its south, is the [[Hinode Bridge]].<ref name="jica 2018-10-12">{{cite web |title=Opening Ceremony of "Hinode Bridge" |url=https://www.jica.go.jp/easttimor/english/office/topics/press181012_02_en.html |website=Japan International Cooperation Agency |access-date=8 February 2022 |date=12 October 2018}}</ref>

At the north eastern corner of central Dili, the [[B. J. Habibie Bridge]] spans the {{ill|Claran River|de|Mota Claran}}, and connects central Dili with the eastern waterfront of the [[Bay of Dili]].<ref name="k 2019-08-29">{{cite news |author1=coilNEWS |title=Foto: Peresmian Jembatan BJ Habibie di Dili, Timor Leste |trans-title=Photo: Inauguration of the BJ Habibie Bridge in Dili, Timor Leste |url=https://kumparan.com/kumparannews/foto-peresmian-jembatan-bj-habibie-di-dili-timor-leste-1rlHsuzOySY/full |access-date=23 January 2022 |work=kumparan |date=29 August 2019 |language=id}}</ref>

===Noefefan Bridge===
[[Noefefan Bridge|This bridge]], also known as the Tono Bridge, was [[Inauguration|inaugurated]] in 2017 as part of the ZEESM TL project in [[Oecusse District|Oecusse]].

==Ports and harbors==
* [[Port of Dili]] – for passenger ships and cruise ships carrying international passengers<ref name="tl 2022-09-21">{{cite web |title=Tibar Bay Port construction reaches 92% and enters into operation on September 30th |url=http://timor-leste.gov.tl/?p=31233&lang=en&n=1 |website=Government of Timor-Leste |access-date=5 October 2022 |language=en |date=21 September 2022}}</ref>
* [[Tibar Bay Port]] – for import and export goods; opened on 30 September 2022<ref name="tl 2022-09-21"/><ref name="pti 2022-10-03">{{cite web |last1=Bruno |first1=Margherita |title=Timor Port starts ops at new Tibar Bay port |url=https://www.porttechnology.org/news/timor-port-starts-ops-at-new-tibar-bay-port/ |website=Port Technology International |access-date=5 October 2022 |date=3 October 2022}}</ref>

==Merchant marine==
[[File:ANL Timor Trader, Dili, 2018 (01).jpg|thumb|Liberian flagged general cargo ship ''ANL Timor Trader'' being unloaded at the [[Port of Dili]], 2018]]
'''Total'''
* 1

'''Ships by type'''
*passenger/cargo 1 (2010)

'''Routes'''

In July 2022, the [[President of Indonesia]], [[Joko Widodo]], urged the government of Timor-Leste to open a shipping route between [[Kupang]], Dili, and [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]], to boost sea lane connectivity.<ref name="a 2022-07-19">{{cite news |last1=D |first1=Mentari |last2=Kurmala |first2=Azis |title=Jokowi urges Timor-Leste to open Kupang-Dili-Darwin shipping route |url=https://en.antaranews.com/news/240049/jokowi-urges-timor-leste-to-open-kupang-dili-darwin-shipping-route |access-date=2023-04-20 |work=Antara News |agency=[[Antara (news agency)|Antara]] |date=2022-07-19}}</ref>

==Airports==
[[File:Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport2.jpg|thumb|[[Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport]] in Dili|alt=Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport in Dili]]
{{See also|List of airports in Timor-Leste}}
{{As of|2019}}, Timor-Leste had eight airports. The three major ones were [[Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport]] in Dili, [[Baucau Airport|Cakung or Baucau Airport]] in Baucau, and [[Suai Airport]] in Suai. Only the first two of these were designed as international airports.<ref name="adb 2019-11">{{cite report |author1=Nippon Koei Co., Ltd (NK) |author-link=:ja:日本工営 |date=November 2019 |title=Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste: Preliminary Assessment for Dili Airport Runway Upgrading Project |url=https://www.adb.org/projects/52320-001/main |website=Asian Development Bank |id=Project Number: 52320-001 |access-date=14 April 2022 |page=2–3}}</ref>

The airport at Dili is the main international airport. As of 2022, commercial scheduled service was also provided at Suai Airport, and [[Oecusse Airport]] in [[Pante Macassar]].<ref name="zeesm">{{cite web |title=ZEESM Timor-Leste |url=https://www.timorleste.tl/listings/zeesm-timor-leste/ |website=Tourism Timor-Leste |access-date=19 February 2022 |date=14 April 2022}}</ref> Local airports included [[Viqueque Airport]] in [[Viqueque]].

No airport in Timor-Leste is officially available for night operations, but the government permits such operations in emergencies.<ref name="adb 2019-11"/>

==Heliports==
8 (2012)

==References==
*{{CIA World Factbook}}
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite report |date=September 2015 |title=Rural Roads Master Plan & Investment Strategy 2016-2020 |url=https://www.ilo.org/dyn/asist/docs/F-906908386/RuralRoadMasterplanTimorLeste.pdf |publisher=[[Ministry of Transport and Communications (East Timor)|Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Communications]], Government of Timor-Leste |access-date=14 July 2022}}
* {{cite web |url=https://www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/wcmsp5/groups/public/@asia/@ro-bangkok/@ilo-jakarta/documents/presentation/wcms_429569.pdf |title=Roads for Development |publisher=Ministeriu Obras Publika}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commonscat-inline|Transport in East Timor}}
{{Timor-Leste topics}}
{{Asia topic|Transport in}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Transport In Timor-Leste}}
[[Category:Transport in Timor-Leste| ]]