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Southeast Asia’s first high-speed railway launched
Indonesia this week launched Southeast Asia’s first high-speed bullet train with a whoosh.
The Waktu Hemat, Operasi Optimal, Sistem Hebat (WHOOSH) train was inaugurated by President Joko Widodo and runs from capital Jakarta to Bandung in West Java.
The China built project has cost about $7.3 billion.
It is also mostly funded by China under the JV firm Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China, a consortium of Indonesia and China companies.
It slashes the journey time of three hours to under an hour on the 142 km route.
Trains are capable of reaching speeds of 350 kmh.
“The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train marks the modernization of our mass transportation, which is efficient and environmentally friendly,” the president said.
The project construction began in 2016 but experienced multiple delays including because of the pandemic
The 209-metre trains have a seating capacity for 601 passengers.
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