JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Indonesia’s President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping are expected to witness a virtual dynamic test of the Southeast Asian country’s first bullet train on Nov. 16 on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Bali.
The train is built for the 142-kilometer high-speed railway network linking the Jakarta capital and the neighboring city of Bandung in West Java. The bullet train which operates at the speed of 350 km per hour is expected to reduce the travel time between the two cities from about three hours to 45 minutes.
“The dynamic test of the bullet train from Tegal Luar station to Cikopo station [in West Java] about 20 kilometers will be witnessed by the two presidents, Jokowi and Xi Jinping, from Bali,” said the President Director of the state-owned railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) Didiek Hartantyo.
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The statement was made by Didiek during a hearing with the House of Representatives Commission VI overseeing industrial affairs on Wednesday, Nov. 9.
Didiek said with this project, the state electricity firm Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) has provided 150 kilovolts (kV) of power in the Tegal Luar area in Bandung regency.
He also said that the construction of four stations of the high-speed train continues. “The progress of Halim Station is 69.44 percent complete, Karawang Station is 65.99 percent complete, Padalarang Station is still 9.75 percent complete, while Tegal Luar Station and Tegal Luar Depo have reached 81.77 percent and 52.65 percent completion mark, respectively.”
Didiek went on to say that the overall construction progress has reached 79.51 percent and the investment progress has reached 90.60 percent.
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"It is targeted that on Dec. 31, all building construction (main lines, stations, including Padalarang station) will be completed," he said.
The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway will provide a total capacity of 601 passengers, including a room for the disabled.
The project is developed by railway developer PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC). Established in October 2015, KCIC is a joint venture between a consortium of Indonesian state firms under PT Pilar Sinergi BUMN Indonesia (PSBI) and a consortium of Chinese railway companies under Beijing Yawan HSR Co.Ltd, through a business-to-business scheme.
(Writer: Haryanti Puspa Sari | Editor: Aprillia Ika)
