Jokowi Please Have The Jakarta-Bandung High-speed Rail Project As Part Of Inter-National Connectivity

A series of inspection trains for the maintenance needs of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train in Tegal Luar, Bandung Regency, West Java. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) hopes that the Jakarta-Bandung High Speed Rail (KCJB) project can become part of connectivity between countries as initiated by ASEAN countries.

Jokowi said the KCJB project would be integrated with ports or airports so that it would become part of cross-border connectivity.

"This is indeed the first fast train in the region, in ASEAN, and we hope that there will be connectivity between countries, whether it is connected to the port, whether it is connected to the airport," said Jokowi Jokowi after reviewing the construction of a high-speed train project at Tegalluar Station, Bandung Regency, West Java.

Jokowi revealed that the realization of the construction of the high-speed rail project as of Wednesday has reached 88.8 percent of the target. He said the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train could operate in June 2023.

With the construction of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail project, Jokowi hopes that the mobility of people and goods will increase and be fast. It will also increase the competitiveness of the economy.

In addition, Jokowi hopes that the effects of economic multipliers will arise from the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail project.

"Then there are new economic growth points in Jakarta, in Bandung there is, then in Bandung Regency it also happens," he said.

Jokowi also revealed that there had indeed been problems related to the condition of the soil contours during the construction of tunneles (tunnels) 2 and 11. However, this obstacle has now been resolved.

"The land is very difficult to control, but Alhamdulillah it's finished now," he said.

Regarding Chinese President Xi Jinping, who reportedly has plans to review the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail project, Jokowi said it was still being discussed.

"With President Xi Jinping still being discussed, it's not final yet," said President Jokowi.

The government has designated the Jakarta-Bandung High Speed Train as one of the National Strategic Projects (PSN) as stated in Presidential Regulation Number 3 of 2016 concerning the Acceleration of National Strategic Projects.

The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train is estimated to be able to travel up to 350 kilometers per hour and will cut the travel time from Jakarta to Bandung to 40 minutes from the previous three hours.

This project has a route length of 142.3 kilometers with an elevated structure type of 82.7 kilometers and the rest in the form of 13 tunnels and subgrades.

This fast train will stop at four stations along the track, namely Halim Station (Jakarta), Karawang Station, Padalarang Station, and Tegalluar Station (Bandung).

At the beginning of the construction, the investment costs needed to build this project amounted to 6.07 billion US dollars or equivalent to IDR 85.41 trillion.