According to Reuters, this high-speed railway is a flagship project of the administration of Indonesian President Joko Widodo, and is also a project within the Belt and Road Initiative initiated by China.
The 142 km long high-speed railway connecting the capital Jakarta with Bandung city was originally expected to be completed and put into commercial operation from 2019.
However, due to many problems, including material procurement, site clearance, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the project has been delayed for 4 years and cost over 1.2 billion USD.
The 142-km high-speed railway linking Jakarta to Bandung was originally scheduled to be completed in 2019. Photo: REUTERS
The joint venture of Indonesian and Chinese state-owned enterprises (KCIC) earlier this week postponed the free trial run to September 1 to ensure safety.
KCIC also planned to put it into commercial operation on October 1, but Indonesian Transport Minister Budi Karya Sumadi confirmed on August 11 that "no date has been set yet."
"President Joko Widodo asked not to rush into operation," Minister Budi told Reuters . "This is the first high-speed train in Indonesia and ASEAN with advanced technology. So we have to be careful. The president noted that the number one priority is safety."
Chinese President Xi Jinping told President Widodo during a visit to Beijing in July that both countries must ensure the project adheres to high standards.
To complete the rest of the project, the joint venture borrowed an additional $560 million from the China Development Bank. As costs rose, there were concerns that ticket prices would also be pushed up to recoup investors’ investment.
Minister Budi said the train fare would be between 250,000 and 300,000 rupiah. This is a subsidized price, lower than the estimated 350,000 rupiah (without government intervention).
Still, the price is double what passengers currently pay for a trip between Jakarta and Bandung by regular train.
"We hope that with this subsidy, passengers will be willing to pay to use the high-speed train service," said Mr. Budi.
Source
Comment (0)