Rapid Development Of The Jakarta-Bandung High Speed Rail Project, KCIC Ready To Install Railroads

JAKARTA - The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail project continues. Now, PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC) is preparing for track laying (rail installation) to accelerate the completion of the project.

PT KCIC President Director Dwiyana Slamet Riyadi said that preparations for the rail installation have been carried out for this work. "One diesel locomotive unit has been tested and can operate properly. Then there are four other diesel locomotive units, 76 flat cars and 16 hopper cars that will support the track laying process," Slamet said in a statement quoted by Antara, Monday, February 14.

Dwiyana added that the progress of the track laying work is not only seen in the readiness of installation equipment because all equipment for track laying needs such as slab tracks, ballasts and rail welding are almost complete.

Previously, a total of 24,606 concrete slab tracks out of a total of 30,117 pcs needed for the high-speed rail project had been completed.

The concrete rail bearings made are one of the results of the technology transfer that occurred during the construction process of the fast train project from a Chinese contractor to an Indonesian contractor.

The Sinohydro contractor has produced rail bearings while transferring technology to a local contractor, namely WIKA Beton. From a total of 30,117 pcs of concrete rail bearings, as many as 15,331 pcs were produced by Sinohydro and have been completed. The remaining 14,786 pcs were produced by WIKA Beton.

To date, WIKA Beton has completed 9,275 pcs of slab tracks. It is targeted that the entire slab track will be completed in May 2022. The installation of slab tracks at various points is also carried out, such as in DK 32 and tunnel 1.

Currently, the series of rails which are currently in the process of welding at the welding factory facility at the Tegalluar Depot, have reached 217.5 kilometers or 67 percent of the target.

Thus, the Tegalluar Depot has succeeded in connecting 872 rail rods, each of which has a length of 500 meters. With this progress, the remaining need for high-speed rail is 296 rails with a length of 500 meters.

Regarding the ballast type fast train track, Dwiyana said that his party has two ballast factories with a capacity of up to 20,000 m3 per month in Sumedang and Cianjur. Until now, ballast production in these two factories has reached more than 300,000 m3.

"We are optimistic that with a large production capacity, the installation of bearings for ballast-type tracks will be smooth so that track laying work can run quickly without obstacles," he said.

Dwiyana emphasized that various preparations were made for the track laying process or the installation of rail lines for the fast train project as a form of accelerating the development carried out.

He ensured that his party together with a consortium of contractors made maximum efforts to realize the pilot and operational targets.

"Until now, we continue to try to do our best so that this fast train project can quickly enter the trial stage and operate according to the targets that have been set," he said.