The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train (KCJB), which is officially named Whoosh, is scheduled to be inaugurated today, October 2, 2023 by President Jokowi. The inauguration ceremony was postponed one day from the original schedule, according to reporting from Tempo.
Developed in tandem with China, the first bullet train in Indonesia and in Southeast Asia can carry more than 600-people to and from Jakarta and Bandung of West Java in just 45-minutes. The project is part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Tempo say that the train can reach speeds of up to 350-kilometers per hour, or 220-miles per hour, and cost more than USD 7-billion to develop by the joint venture between China and Indonesia. The project was governed by PT KCIC, which was composed of four state-owned companies, and Beijing-based Railway International Co.
The Transportation Ministry issued the operating license for the bullet train on Tuesday, September 26, 2023, through the Minister’s Decree Number KM 114 of 2023. Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said Whoosh has met the operational feasibility aspects of high-speed trains, report Tempo.
“Thank God, all testing and certification components have been passed so this operating permit can be issued, and the commercial operations can be carried out immediately,” he said in a written statement on Sunday, October 1, 2023.
Source: Tempo
Stock image by Fikri Rasyid on Unsplash
