INDONESIA President Joko Widodo took a ride on the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway on Wednesday.
This is a landmark project under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Widodo examined the construction progress at the Halim station in Jakarta and took the train to the Padalarang Station in West Java Province.
Widodo praised the new high-speed railway and described his ride experience as smooth and comfortable.
He also hoped that the people of Indonesia would use this public transportation frequently to ease traffic and pressure between Bandung and Jakarta.
“I’ve made four inspections to this project and this is my first time to take a ride. It’s comfortable. Even when the speed reached 350 kilometers per hour, I didn’t feel bumpy, either standing or sitting. This is an advancement of civilization,” according to Pres. Joko Widodo, Indonesia.
The high-speed railway connects Indonesia’s capital Jakarta and West Java’s Provincial Capital Bandung.
It has a speed of 350 kilometers per hour, and the railway spans 142.3 kilometers.
This effectively reduces the journey between the two cities from over 3 hours to around 40 minutes.
The Jakarta-Bandung HSR is the first high-speed railway project that fully uses Chinese railway systems, technology, and industrial components.
This is also the first high-speed railway in Southeast Asia.
