Project name: Jakarta-Bandung High-speed Railway, Indonesia

Total length: 150 km

Contractor: CREC

Jakarta-Bandung High-speed Railway is a proposed project in Indonesia, connecting the capital city of Jakarta to the textile hub of Bandung.

China have been selected by the Indonesian Government over Japan to build the country’s first fast-train rail link.

Commencing in 2016, construction on the $5.5bn project will last for three years, with completion scheduled for 2019. The project will be developed by PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China, a joint venture formed in October 2015 between a consortium of Indonesian state-owned companies, and China Railway International.

 The project will be carried out on a business-to-business basis, with Indonesia having 60% interest in the joint venture, while China has 40%.

Jakarta to Bandung high-speed rail project background
China won the project due to its readiness to provide guarantee-free loans, while Japan requested Indonesian Government funding.

The high-profile railway contract was cancelled mid-way through due to high cost and funding issues. Plans were changed to a medium-speed rail link that would be 40% cheaper.

 Indonesian authorities then reverted the proposal to a high-speed rail link, and awarded the contract to China.

Jakarta to Bandung high-speed rail project details
The proposed rail link will be 150km long, with approximate train speed estimated to be between 200km/h and 250km/h.

 Daily passenger flow on the rail link is expected to be 44,000 on average, with this number increasing in later years.

 Travel time between the two central hubs will be reduced to 36min from the original 3h-5h.

 Station details of the Indonesian high-speed rail project
The high-speed railway will have four stations along its route. One of the stations will be in Gambir, a major station located in the executive zone close to Monas, and expected to witness a huge passenger flow.

 Manggarai will be another station location equipped to handle large number of passengers.

A station near the airport in Halim will connect the high-speed rail to a planned light rail, and will provide easy access to the high-speed rail for passengers in south-eastern Jakarta.

 Another station will be located in Walini in West Bandung , which is to be a new tourism hub in West Java.

 Financing for the rail project
The project will be financed through a Chinese loan, without aid from the Indonesian State budget. China Development Bank will provide approximately 75% of the funding, and the rest will be arranged by the joint venture partners.

 The loan will be for a 40-year period, with a 10-year grace period.

 Key players involved
China Railway Construction Corp (CRCC) entered a joint venture with a consortium of Indonesia’s state-owned enterprises (SOEs).

 The SOEs are being led by PT Wijaya Karya Tbk to develop the high-speed rail project.

 The Indonesian consortium comprises PT Wijaya Karya, a construction company, railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia, toll-road builder PT Jasa Marga, and PT Perkebunan Nusantara VIII, a plantation company.

 Benefits of Jakarta to Bandung high-speed rail
The project is expected to generate 40,000 jobs a year during construction, creating a positive economic impact.

 Associated industries such as smelting, manufacturing, infrastructure, power generation, electronics, services and logistics will also receive a boost, thus leading to a balanced growth in all sectors.

 Stations and their surrounding areas will experience an increase in activity and development, which will result in new opportunities for the real estate sector. Urban and rural areas along the route will also experience balanced development.

Indonesia marks first tunnel breakthrough in high-speed railway project

Indonesia on Tuesday marked a milestone in its Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway (HSR) project with the breakthrough of a tunnel at the project's landmark site in West Bandung regency.

The Walini tunnel breakthrough nearly completes the construction of 608-meter HSR tunnel near the Walini station.

"Walini tunnel breakthrough event is a milestone for HSR project in Indonesia. This milestone would further convince Indonesian people that having HSR train serves in Indonesia is not an expectation that cannot be fulfilled," Managing Director of PT China Indonesia Fast Train (KCIC) Chandra Dwiputra said.

KCIC is a joint venture consortium by Chinese and Indonesian state-owned firms that runs the 142-km HSR train project linking Jakarta and capital of West Java province of Bandung.

The Walini tunnel is one of 13 tunnels constructed for the Jakarta-Bandung HSR project. Built in 15 months, it has a diameter of 12.6 meter in the inner section and 14.3 meter in the outer section, Chandra said.

West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil said that the Jakarta-Bandung HSR project would spur new economic centers alongside the route with the opening of new settlements and cities alongside the route.

"Operation of Jakarta-Bandung HSR train would set a new city development standards that heavily highlights on advanced connectivity. We hope that it would also link the newly-opened cities with strategic and essential places to further boost the economy," Ridwan said in the event.

He added that his office would also build a transit station linking the HSR station in Tegal Luar to downtown area with Light Rail Transit (LRT) transportation system.

The HSR train enables people to travel in about 40 minutes between Jakarta and Bandung, while regular trains or cars take up to 3 hours. Four stations located in Jakarta, Karawang, Walini and Tegal Luar have been planned to facilitate travelers using the HSR train.

Indonesia State-owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno said that the China-Indonesia joint venture firm has apparently been very effective in building the tunnel in Walini.

"I convey my greatest gratitude for China's willingness to provide training programs for Indonesian engineers involved in the project site as well as sending them to China for further training session. I have a dream that within the next 10 years Indonesia and China can work together in developing HSR train in other countries," she said.