Indonesia is set to launch Southeast Asia's first high-speed railway, largely funded by China
Indonesia is set to launch Southeast Asia's first high-speed railway, largely funded by China
Indonesia is preparing to launch Southeast Asia’s first high-speed railway, a key project under China’s Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.
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The Chinese-made bullet train, called “Whoosh,” will connect Jakarta with Bandung, the heavily populated capital of West Java province.
Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, the coordinating minister for maritime and investment, said China Railway has agreed to transfer its technology to Indonesia so that in the future the country’s high-speed trains can be made domestically.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang took a test ride early last month while visiting Jakarta for three days of talks with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations and other countries.
The trains have been modified for Indonesia’s tropical climate and are equipped with a safety system that can respond to earthquakes, floods and other emergency conditions.
The project is part of a planned 750-kilometer (466-mile) high-speed train line that would cut across four provinces on Indoensia’s main island of Java and end in the country’s second-largest city, Surabaya.
Deddy Herlambang, executive director of the Jakarta-based NGO Institute for Transportation Studies, said the public does not really need a high-speed train on the Jakarta-Bandung route because there were already many other ways of traveling between the two cities.
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Indonesia is launching Southeast Asia's first high-speed railway connecting the capital Jakarta with Bandung. Largely funded by China under its Belt and Road Initiative, the 142 km railway will cut travel time from 3 hours to around 40 minutes on the Whoosh bullet trains reaching speeds up to 350 kph. The $7.3 billion project was constructed by a Chinese-Indonesian joint venture and faced delays due to land and environmental issues. Indonesian President Joko Widodo championed the project and will inaugurate commercial operations on Monday. During test runs, Chinese and Indonesian leaders rode the trains and were comfortable even at top speeds.
However, some experts question the financial viability of the high-speed rail for such a short route, as existing transportation is far cheaper.
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good for them! and I hate to say this but thank you china.