Indonesia's first high-speed train reaches test speed of 300km per hour

According to KCIC, the test run of the first high-speed train went smoothly with increased speed thanks to improvements in the track, signaling system, monitoring system and electromagnetic system.

A train prepares to depart for a test run on the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway line, at Jakarta's Halim station.

The Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC) consortium said the high-speed train connecting the capital Jakarta and the city of Bandung in West Java province reached a speed of 300km/h in its latest test run on June 16.

According to KCIC, the test run of Indonesia's first high-speed train went smoothly with increased speed thanks to improvements in the track, signaling system, monitoring system and electronics.

“The test went smoothly despite heavy rain,” said KCIC spokesman Emir Monti. “The test train reached a speed of 300km/h and maintained a very stable speed. We plan to increase the speed in stages.” In the previous test, the maximum speed reached 220km/h, a new record in the history of the country's railway industry.

The Indonesian government plans to launch the high-speed train line in August 2023 to celebrate the 78th anniversary of its independence, on the same day as the Greater Jakarta Light Rail Transit (LRT) line, before launching commercial operations in September with limited trips.

Earlier on May 22, KCIC announced that the train's speed will be gradually increased to 385 km/h during a comprehensive three-week test series and will reduce the journey between Jakarta and Bandung to about 40 minutes.

The project to build this 142km high-speed railway line started in 2016.

Indonesian state-owned companies - including rail operator KAI and construction firm Wijaya Karya - control 60% of KCIC, while China Railway Engineering Group and other Chinese companies hold the remaining shares.

The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway project was initially estimated to cost $6 billion, but last year Indonesia announced it needed an additional $1.2 billion to meet the June 2023 commercial launch deadline.

The project was originally scheduled to be completed and put into operation in 2019, but has faced problems with site clearance and construction delays due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

(According to Vietnam+)

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