After Years of Delay, Indonesia Is Now the First Southeast Asian Country with a Bullet Train
On 2 October 2023 Indonesian President Joko Widodo was present at the launch of the first ever bullet train (high-speed rail) in Southeast Asia. With the help of China (the project being part of China's Belt and Road infrastructure initiative), passengers can now travel from Indonesia’s capital city of Jakarta to tourism/arts hub Bandung in West Java (or the other way round) in around 45 minutes only.
This is significantly shorter than the 2.5 – 4 hours (depending on traffic congestion) it normally takes to travel between both cities (by car or bus) as the train can reach speeds up to 350 kilometers per hour.
The official name of the train is the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Train (Kereta Cepat Jakarta-Bandung). However, recently, it became known as the “Whoosh” high-speed train. Reportedly, the word Whoosh was an idea that came from Widodo himself as it resembles the sound a train makes. And, this word can also act as an acronym for Waktu Hemat, Operasi Optimal, Sistem Hebat which is Indonesian for ‘time saving, optimal operation, great system’.
Widodo was quoted in Indonesian media saying that:
“Everything related to this high-speed train is new for Indonesia: the technology, speed, the construction, and funding scheme. Everything is new, and we should not be afraid to learn, and try new things. And, in that process, unexpected things can arise, difficulties in the field, problems and imperfections. Experience is expensive, yet very valuable, and so we do not need to be afraid because if we are consistent, there will be fewer mistakes.”
The deal for the Jakarta–Bandung high-speed train project was first signed in 2015 as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative and within the framework of Indonesia's Global Maritime Axis. Construction began later that year.
This cooperation is an important milestone for Indonesia and China. For China, it is the first high-speed rail project that fully adopts Chinese systems and technology in an overseas country. And for Indonesia it means becoming the first Southeast Asian country to have a high-speed rail transportation mode.
The project was constructed by a joint Chinese-Indonesian venture, called Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (or KCIC), which consists of an Indonesian consortium (Pilar Sinergi Bersama Indonesia) and a Chinese consortium (Beijing Yawan HSR Co. Ltd.). The four companies in the Indonesian consortium are state-controlled companies.
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