PHOTO
Image used for illustrative purpose. A passenger train crosses the Chikubang bridge as it travels from the city of Bandung to Jakarta near Padalarang, West Java, Indonesia August 25, 2015. Japan's prime minister has sent an envoy to Indonesia to offer a sweeter deal to build a high-speed railway, a Japanese embassy official said on Thursday, highlighting the importance of the multi-billion dollar project that China also wants to win. The two Asian giants are in a neck-and-neck contest to win a contract to build Indonesia's first high-speed rail, between the capital Jakarta and textile hub Bandung, a project that would bolster their influence in Southeast Asia's biggest economy.Picture taken August 25, 2015. REUTERS/Darren Whiteside
Indonesia’s first high-speed train, which links Jakarta and Bandung, has completed a trial run at 180 kilometres per hour.
The 142 km-long railway project was funded and build under China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
The trial run involved inspection of the performance of track structure, vibration, traction power supply, communication and signalling works, and other systems, The Strait Times newspaper reported.
Construction on the project started in 2016 and initially had an operational deadline of 2019. Although the initial estimated cost was $6 billion, Jakarta added another $1.2 billion in 2022 to meet the commercial launch deadline of June 2023.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo hopes to launch the commercial operations of the train on August 18.
Kereta Cepat Indonesia China, the project developer, is 60 percent owned by Indonesian state companies, including rail operator KAI and construction company Wijaya Karya. China Railway Engineering Corporation and other Chinese companies hold the remaining stake, the newspaper said.
(Writing by P Deol; Editing by Anoop Menon)
