Indonesia is set to launch its bullet train railway next June, according to Euronews. With trains that can travel at speeds of up to 350 km per hour, it will be the fastest train in Southeast Asia–the region’s first high-speed train service.
The line will connect the nation’s capital city Jakarta with the bustling West Java capital Bandung. It currently takes three hours to travel between the two cities. With the new high-speed train, it will take just 40 minutes.
The details:
Largely funded through China’s Belt and Road infrastructure program, one of the main purposes of the railway is to allow China to develop new trade routes in the region.
President Joko Widodo said it is his hope that “the mobility of goods and people can be faster and improved, and our competitiveness will also be stronger.”
Almost completed:
The railway is currently about 90 percent completed, however, it has been in the making for quite some time. Construction began in 2016.
The original plan was for the railway to be completed and operating by 2019, but delays have pushed it back another four years due to disputes over land and environmental concerns.
Costs:
The 142.3-km-long railway is said to be worth $7.8 billion. Its train cars, which will be powered by 625,000-watt electric motors, were designed and built by China’s CRRC Qingdao Sifang railway company.
Passengers will ride in VIP, first, or second class, and there will be cars with large spaces between seats that have been designed for customers with limited mobility.
They even track emergencies:
The impressive trains also have the ability to adapt to the tropical climate of Indonesia. Each train has a security system that can track emergency conditions such as floods and earthquakes.