JAKARTA, Indonesia — Passenger service commenced for Indonesia’s first high speed rail service on Oct. 2, 2023. The 140-kilometer (87-mile) route connects Jakarta and Bandung, the country’s capital and a popular tourist destination, respectively.
The Nikkei Asia reports that the new eight-car WHOOSH train — an acronym for “Waktu Hemat, Operasi Optimal, Sistem Hebat,” meaning “timesaving, optimal operation, great system” in Indonesian – can carry600 passengers while maintaining speeds up to 350 kilometers per hour (217 mph). Rail travel time between the two cities has been cut to approximately one hour.
The Jakarta-Bandung route was constructed and is operated by PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China (PT KCIC), a partnership between four Indonesian state companies involving China Railway International Co. Ltd. As part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, the project was initially set for a 2019 completion with a total cost of approximately [U.S.] $5.5 billion. The COVID-19 pandemic was reported to have delayed the project with a cost overrun estimated up to $7.5 billion.
Despite the setbacks, officials expect a positive economic impact in the long term. “The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train marks the modernization of our mass transportation,” Indonesia President Joko Widodo said during the Oct. 2 opening ceremony at Halim station in Jakarta, as reported by Nikkei Asia. “Our experience in building infrastructure… has given us the experience and provisions to create better outcomes in the future.”
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