Inauguration of Southeast Asia's fastest train in Indonesia
Inauguration of Southeast Asia's fastest train in Indonesia
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The launch of Southeast Asia’s first high-speed railway at
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Southeast Asia's fastest train route has been officially
inaugurated in Indonesia. This bullet train project has been completed under
China's “Belt and Road Project”. According
to information received from Indonesia, this train will connect the capital
city of Jakarta with the city of Bandung in the West Java province. The speed
of this train is 350 km per hour and the distance between the two cities will
now be covered in forty minutes instead of three hours.
Delay Project
The project was largely funded by China and cost about $7.3
billion. The train has been named “Voosh” while the project has been delayed, due
to which its cost has also increased. Earlier, this 142 km long railway line
was supposed to be inaugurated in 2019.
President Inaugurated the train
Indonesian
President Joko Widodo pushed the project forward despite criticism for its high
cost and doubts about its commercial benefits. "This high-speed
train is part of our modernization plan, which aims to make the transportation
system environmentally friendly," Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for
Investment Luhut said at the inauguration. Bansar Panjitan said on the
occasion that China Railways has agreed to transfer its technology to
Indonesia so that such high-speed trains can be manufactured locally.
Chinese-made Bullet Train
The project has been completed by PT Carita Septa Indonesia
China, also known as PTKCIC. It is a joint venture between a consortium of four
Indonesian state-owned companies and China Railway International Company
Limited. The rail
deal was signed in October 2015, after Indonesia preferred China over Japan
after a “fierce bidding competition”. China Development Bank has provided 75%
of the capital for this project while the remaining 25% has been used by the consortium
from its own funds. The project has faced several problems like the coronavirus
in the purchase of land, due to which it has been completed late.
