Indonesian President Joko Widodo inaugurated the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR) at Halim Station in Jakarta.
At the ceremony, Widodo said the HSR, with a speed of 350 kilometers per hour, is the first high-speed train in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, marking the modernization of Indonesia’s transportation system.
He said the name of the HSR, “Whoosh,” was inspired by the sound of the train, and declared that “Whoosh” was ready to enter operation.
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, a joint venture consortium between Indonesian and Chinese firms that constructed and will run the HSR, last Friday.
The high-speed line, spanning 142.3 km and connecting Indonesia’s capital city, Jakarta, and the fourth largest city, Bandung, is a flagship project that synergizes the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Indonesia’s Global Maritime Fulcrum strategy and a signature project of pragmatic cooperation between China and Indonesia.
It was the first time Chinese railway systems, technology and industrial components were fully used in an overseas HSR construction project.
