VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The government has targeted to complete the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train construction project by 2020, slower than its previous target in 2019, State Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno said. The high-speed train is expected to be commissioned in 2020, Soemarno stated during an inspection of the Walini Tunnel in West Bandung on Wednesday. According to the minister, the main hindrance for the project was the slow progress in land acquisition since 2016.

"If the first stage could run as scheduled, it would be impossible (to miss the target). We hope that the train could be commissioned in 2020," she remarked.

So far, the authority has finished the acquisition process of 56.5 percent of the 140-kilometer-long-project. The process would be continued and targeted to be completed in April.

The high-speed train project was carried out by PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia Cina (KCIC), a consortium of state-owned enterprises and China Railways, through a business-to-business plan. Construction of the tunnel has been started in Walini area of West Bandung and Halim Perdanakusuma area in Jakarta, while construction of the elevated railway has been started in another location. The two locations are strategic parts of the project, the minister added.

The high-speed train could reach a speed of 350 kilometers per hour, and it would only take 45 minutes to reach Bandung from Jakarta. The train will stop in four stations, namely Halim, Karawang, Walini, and Tegalluar stations. It would not use the existing railway but construct new ones to adjust with the train specification.

"The high-speed train could boost the economy along the Jakarta-Bandung corridor through the establishment of a new economic center for small and medium enterprises, as well as local economy," Rini noted, adding that in the future, similar trains would be operated in other regions too.

After the completion of the tunnel and elevated railway construction project, the company would start the development of installation track, including the signaling and telecommunication system. The installation stage is targeted to start by mid-2020 and finalized by the end of 2020. ( antara )