Indonesian president declares operation of Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway

Photo taken on Sept. 30, 2023 shows the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway in Purwakarta town of West Java, Indonesia. (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

JAKARTA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian President Joko Widodo declared the official operation of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR) at Halim Station in Jakarta Monday morning.

At the ceremony, Widodo said the HSR, with a speed of 350 km per hour, is the first high-speed train in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, marking the modernization of Indonesia's transportation mode.

He announced the name of the HSR, "Whoosh," inspired by the sound of the train, and declared that "Whoosh" was ready to be operated.

Representatives from the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia, China Railway International Group, and PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China (KCIC) attended the ceremony.

The Indonesian Transportation Ministry issued an operating license to the KCIC last Friday, a joint venture consortium between Indonesian and Chinese firms that constructs and runs the HSR.

The high-speed line, spanning 142.3 km and connecting Indonesia's capital city Jakarta and the 4th largest city Bandung, is a flagship project that synergizes the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Indonesia's Global Maritime Fulcrum strategy, and also a signature project of pragmatic cooperation between China and Indonesia.

It was the first time that Chinese railway systems, technology and industrial components were fully used in HSR construction project overseas.