Whoosh ! That's certainly the sound the new high-speed train when he travelled through the Javanese countryside between Jakarta and Bandung. But what sounds like onomatopoeia is in fact the abbreviation given to the Indonesian high-speed train. "Waktu Hemat, Operasi Optimal, Sistem Handal" means "time saving, optimal operation, reliable system".
Since 2 October, the 142 km link has connected Indonesia's current capital to one of the country's main cities. Bandung, with its 2.5 million inhabitants, is the capital of West Java province. It is home to Indonesia's most famous university of technology, with numerous start-ups and hi-tech companies.
The train, which will reach a top speed of 350 km/h, will serve the two cities in less than 45 minutes, compared with more than 3 hours for a conventional train. The project will have cost 7.3 billion, 75% of it financed by China. The latter supplied the train technology.
The budget will in fact have exploded, slipping by more than 1.2 billion dollars. The reasons for this extra cost are miscalculation of construction investment, problems of expropriation of land and the covid pandemic. The delay in inaugurating the line will thus have reached four years..
Whoosh, symbol of the Jokowi years
High-speed rail concludes Joko Widodo's presidential term (hence his nickname Jokowi). His political legacy will be marked by the launch of major transport infrastructures across the country. Some 400 billion dollars were invested over his two mandates to develop transport infrastructure. a significant deficit when it took office.
During Joko Widodo's eight years in office, the government has built 1,700 km of motorways, over 4,000 km of dual carriageway, 30 reservoirs, 18 ports and 21 airportsMost of these have been built outside the island of Java. 12 years ago, Indonesia had just 800 km of motorways...
One of the most emblematic projects is this high-speed link. But it also includes the opening of the first metro and light rail lines in Jakarta or the development of a railway line on the island of Sumatra. Not to mention the pharaonic Nusantara, Indonesia's new administrative capitallocated in Borneo.
Three classes of on-board service
The high-speed rail line will provide daily round trips between Jakarta and Bandung. Whoosh offers 600 places per convoy and one-way fares range from €15.50 in Premium Economy, €18 in Business Class and €22 in VIP Class. Tickets are on sale online at KAI, the Indonesian railways website.
On-board Wi-Fi, reclining seats and a bar are just some of the facilities on offer. Some 60 round trips are offered between the two cities.
The only drawback probably lies in the departure and arrival stations of the two metropolises.which are not in the city centre. Trains depart from Jakarta Halim station to the east and arrive at Padalarang, west of Bandung. Halim is connected by the brand new LRT light rail system and suburban and regional trains. Padalarang offers connections with suburban trains to Bandung Central Station.
The Indonesian and Chinese authorities are now discussing extending the line. In the second phase, the Indonesian government hopes to see Whoosh arrive at Surabaya station one day.the country's second-largest city 700 km from Jakarta. The two cities would thus be less than three hours apart. Above all, this line extension would balance out the train's operating costs.
