Indonesia launches Southeast Asia’s first high-speed rail

Indonesia inaugurated Southeast Asia’s first high-speed railway, a multibillion-dollar project that China had supported and had experienced delays. President Joko Widodo lauded the railway as “a symbol of our modernization.”

Indonesia launches high-speed rail: The “Whoosh” bullet train, with a top speed of 350 km/h (220 mph), travels in 45 minutes from Bandung to Jakarta, the nation’s capital.

Previously, the 140 km trip would have taken roughly three hours by train.

At a ceremony held at the capital’s main station, Widodo declared, “The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train marks our efficient, friendly, and integrated mass transportation system.”

“It is a symbol of our public transportation’s modernization and seamless integration with other modes of transportation.”

According to Widodo, the 600-person train was Southeast Asia’s first high-speed rail system.

It is a component of Beijing’s Belt and Road initiative, an infrastructure-focused programme with a ten-year history.

The president said that the name was actually an abbreviation for the phrase “Waktu Hemat, Operasi Optimal, Sistem Handal,” which translates to “Saving time, optimal operation, and dependable system” in Bahasa Indonesia.

PT KCIC, a consortium comprising China Railway International Co. from Beijing and four state-owned Indonesian businesses, constructed it.

Initially, the project was expected to cost less than $5 billion and be finished in 2019.

Costs, however, increased as a result of delays brought on by the Covid-19 outbreak and building issues.

Officials have conducted open trials for new high-speed road in advance of its opening.

Last Monday, Budi Karya Sumadi, the minister of transportation, said that government would extend the high-speed train line from Bandung to Surabaya, the second-largest city in the nation.

Earlier this month, Senior Minister Luhut Pandjaitan travelled by train with Chinese Premier Li Qiang as part of his trip to Jakarta for summits with Southeast Asian leaders.

Pandjaitan did not provide any additional information when he informed reporters on Thursday that Widodo intended to invite the Chinese President Xi Jinping to ride the train in the future.