Interview: Jakarta-Bandung HRS outstanding example of Indonesia-China cooperation

Dwiyana Slamet Riyadi, president director of PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China (KCIC), a joint venture consortium between Indonesian and Chinese state-owned firms that constructs and runs the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, receives an interview with Xinhua in Jakarta, Indonesia, July 24, 2023. (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

JAKARTA, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR) project is an outstanding example of bilateral cooperation between Indonesia and China, the executive of the railway operator said.

Dwiyana Slamet Riyadi, president director of PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China (KCIC), a joint venture consortium between Indonesian and Chinese state-owned firms that constructs and runs the HSR, told Xinhua in an interview that the project has been progressing smoothly from the planning, implementation, finalizing to the joint commissioning stage.

Riyadi thanked Chinese builders for their contribution to the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway project.

He said that Wijaya Karya (WIKA), Indonesia's construction contractor, participated in the construction of a high-speed railway for the first time, and received support and help from Chinese enterprises during the implementation of the project.

The contractors of the two countries worked side by side to solve the difficulties and obstacles in the construction process, and cooperated hand in hand to promote the construction of the project, the executive said.

He said the Jakarta-Bandung HSR is a new mode of transportation that provides a solution for public transportation in Indonesia and can revitalize the regional economy.

The Jakarta-Bandung HSR has allowed Indonesia to be one step ahead in mastering high-speed railway technology, enhancing the pride of the Indonesian people, he added.

The HSR not only improves Indonesia's infrastructure, but also promotes the development of Indonesia's railroad industry and manufacturing industry, Riyadi said.

He said the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway project is expected to promote the extension of high-speed rail lines to Semarang, Yogyakarta and other cities in the central part of Java island, even extending all the way to Surabaya, the capital of East Java Province. The high-speed railway network through Java will bring scale effects and boost Indonesia's economic development, he said.

Riyadi is full of confidence in the future of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway.

He said that under the efforts of Indonesian governments at all levels, KCIC and other parties, Jakarta-Bandung HSR will continue to make progress in terms of seamless accessibility, intermodal integration and others, and he believed that more and more Indonesian people will choose to travel by high-speed railway.

The Indonesian government is looking forward to attracting more Chinese investment to promote further development of Indonesia-China bilateral cooperation, Riyadi said.

As a flagship project under the Belt and Road Initiative and pragmatic cooperation between Indonesia and China, the 142-kilometer-long Jakarta-Bandung HSR, with a maximum design speed of 350 kilometers per hour, connects Indonesia's capital city of Jakarta and West Java Province's capital Bandung.

This aerial photo taken on July 20, 2023 shows trains of Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR) parking near a train station in Bandung, Indonesia. (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

This photo taken on July 20, 2023 shows the interior view of the exhibition hall of the management department of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR) project in Bandung, Indonesia. (Xinhua/Xu Qin)