JAKARTA - BANDUNG HSR REACHES 64% COMPLETION.

The new high speed railway is expected to cut the total journey time to 46 minutes with intermediate stops.

Despite the unfortunate delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic, construction work on the 142 km long Jakarta - Bandung High Speed Railway (HSR) in Indonesia recently reached 64% completion. At the same time, PT KeretaCepat Indonesia China (KCIC) announced that tunnel drilling work had reached 75%.

KCIC, a joint venture established in October 2015 between a consortium of Indonesian state-owned enterprises (BUMN) through PT PilarSinergi BUMN Indonesia (PSBI) and a consortium of Chinese railway companies through Beijing Yawan HSR Company Limited, has bravely faced many difficulties to reach this remarkable milestone.

Even before the pandemic hit the country, construction of the railway had faced significant challenges.  Initially there were land acquisition issues, among others. Then in March 2020 the Public Works and Housing Ministry demanded that the project's construction be halted for two weeks due to a poor drainage system that apparently caused major flooding on the Jakarta - Cikampek motorway.

At one stage the Indonesian President Joko Widodo had even considered the possibility of involving Japan in the HSR project, after it had originally been outbid by China, as government reviewed the slow progress and the increasing costs.

But work pushes on relentlessly on site. In November 2020 Tunnel 7, the first tunnel over 1 km long on the project, was drilled through, marking an important milestone. Geological conditions of the terrain meant the construction of the tunnel led to some subsidence, and designers used innovative methods to control it. More in general the construction team has overcome many difficulties such as shallow burying, biased pressure, inlet road relocation and land sliding, using leading edge technology and innovation.

In December 2020 a cruise tanker arriving from Fangchenggang port, in Guangxi, delivered the first batch of steel railsat Cilaja Port in Indonesia. The steel rails were originally 100 meters long, before being first transported from their manufacturer, Panzhihua Iron and Steel, in Sichuan province to Fangchenggang port by rail and then cut into 50 meter sections for shipment to Indonesia. The arrival port has been renovated and equipped for unloading and storage capabilities.

The high speed terminal in Jakarta will be located at Gambir, a major station located in the city centre close to the National Monument (Monas). At the other end of the line trains will stop at Bandung station, known as Station Hall and located in the Kebonjeruk-Andir area.

Four intermediate stations, fully integrated with local mass transportation modes,will be served along the route:

- Halim

- Karawang

- Walini

- TegalLuar

The CR400AF Electric Multiple Unit (EMU), also known as FuxingHao ('Rejuvenation'), developed by Qingdao Sifang CRRC, will be deployed into service. This is the latest generation Chinese technology, that allows trains to operate also in a tropical climate with high temperature and humidity conditions, like in Indonesia.

By design, the CR400AF:

- Is currently the fastest conventional train in the world, reaching an average speed of 350 km/h, with an accelerated speed of 400 k/h

- Is more energy efficient thanks tolow resistance, streamline and smoothness which greatly reduce energy consumption

- Is safer and more reliable, thanks to its 2500 sensors and failure detection system

- Is more comfortable and spacious when compared with previous CRRC models

- Has a longer service life (30 years)

- Has lower maintenance costs

Bandung, the capital city of West Java Province, is the third largest city in Indonesia, populated by about 2,5 million people. It has grown to become a very important city in Indonesia, with a higher economic growth rate than the national average. Bandung lies at a relatively short distance from Jakarta, Indonesia's capital city and has a vibrant economy mainly relying upon tourism, high-tech and manufacturing industries, pharmaceutical companies, retail and financial services, educational institutions and food production.

Jakartans once saw the city as the ideal weekend getaway, however according to a study published in 2019 by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Bandung has become even more congested than Jakarta itself. Also in terms of traffic between the two cities, covering the 140 kilometers by car requires an indeterminate amount of time that is in any case greater than three hours - sometimes it can take Jakartan drivers over five hours to reach the 'Flower City'. The existing train service also currently requires more than three hours.

The new high speed railway is expected to cut the total journey time to 46 minutes with intermediate stops, giving businessmen and tourists alike significant encouragement to embark on the journey regularly.

Based on the conducted feasibility study, tariffs should start around 16 USD.

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