Indonesia Launches Southeast Asia's First China-Funded Bullet Train

The first bullet train in Southeast Asia is being launched in Indonesia as part of China's Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.

With the completion of this project, the three-hour trip from Jakarta to Bandung will only take 40 minutes.

According to Bloomberg, the high-speed rail, known as "Whoosh," is made in China and will seamlessly connect Bandung, the capital of the densely populated West Java province, with Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia.

PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China (PT KCIC), a joint venture between an Indonesian consortium of four state-owned companies and China Railway International Co. Ltd., has carried out this $7.3 billion project, which was primarily funded by China.

The Whoosh trains, with top speeds of 350 kph (217 mph), are expected to be the fastest in Southeast Asia. China Railway has agreed to lend Indonesia some of its technology, opening the door for future domestic high-speed train production there.

During his visit to Jakarta, Chinese Premier Li Qiang took a test ride on the high-speed rail, travelling a 40-kilometer distance in just over 11 minutes. Following suit, President Widodo took a 25-minute test drive, expressing his comfort and urging people to use mass transit in order to reduce traffic and pollution.

Widodo emphasised the significance of this rail project by pointing out that traffic congestion in Jakarta and Bandung costs the economy more than $6.5 billion annually.

The project, which started in 2016, ran into delays because of disagreements over land acquisition, environmental issues, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Costs increased to 113 trillion rupiah from an initial estimate of 66.7 trillion rupiah.