The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway is officially opened for operation! From 3 hours to 40 minutes, China's speed is amazing!

At 16:35 Beijing time on October 17 (15:35 local time in Indonesia), the G1137 EMU train departed from Halim Station in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the China-Indonesia Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed ​​Railway was officially opened for operation.

01 China's high-speed train operates overseas for the first time

The Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed ​​Railway, which connects Indonesia's capital Jakarta and its fourth largest city Bandung, is a landmark project of the Belt and Road Initiative and the pragmatic cooperation between China and Indonesia. It is also China's first overseas high-speed railway construction project with a full system, all elements and the entire industrial chain. Chinese technology and standards are used throughout the line.

The line is 142.3 kilometers long with a maximum operating speed of 350 kilometers per hour. It starts from Jakarta, passes through Bekasi City, Bekasi County, Karawang County, Purwangakada County, West Bandung County, Cima Market, Bandung County, and ends in Bandung City. There are four stations: Halim, Karawang, Padalalang, and Dekalur.

On October 17, passengers talked in the carriage of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed ​​Railway EMU train.

Image source: Xinhua News Agency

With the Chinese-made high-speed EMUs coming online, the fastest travel time between Jakarta and Bandung has been shortened from more than three hours to 46 minutes. This marks that Indonesia has entered the high-speed rail era and that China and Indonesia have achieved major landmark results in jointly building the "Belt and Road".

02 How did the first “Whoosh” in Southeast Asia overcome “world-class difficulty”?

Indonesian President Joko Widodo named the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway "Whoosh", which is actually the abbreviation of three words: time-saving, efficient and reliable. This name is not only a recognition of Chinese technology and Chinese standards, but also the personal experience of every passenger.

Before the high-speed rail was built, the railway connecting Jakarta and Bandung was an old railway built more than 100 years ago, with a speed of only more than 50 kilometers per hour . It often took 3-5 hours to cross congested roads and unpredictable terrain. Now, the commuting time between the two places has been greatly shortened. This not only means a faster commuting option, but more importantly, it accelerates the economic exchanges and cultural integration between the two cities and the areas along the line.

Java Island, where the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway is located, has a permanent population of about 150 million, accounting for more than half of Indonesia's population, and is the most economically and culturally developed region in Indonesia. However, the geological environment is also extremely complex: Java Island is located at the intersection of the Eurasian Plate, the Pacific Plate and the Indian Plate, and volcanoes and earthquakes occur frequently.

On January 28, 2022, in Purwakarta Regency, West Java Province, Indonesia, workers work in the No. 2 Tunnel of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed ​​Railway.

Image source: Xinhua News Agency

Take Tunnel No. 2 as an example. It is 1,052 meters long and has a maximum buried depth of 53.6 meters. It is the most difficult tunnel to construct on the entire Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed ​​Railway. The tunnel geology is characterized by high water content, high liquid limit, high compression ratio, and high porosity. In construction terminology, projects that affect the progress of the entire line are called controlling projects. Tunnel No. 2 is one of the controlling projects of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed ​​Railway.

Sometimes the ground ahead suddenly cracks, and sometimes the entire ground suddenly sinks... Faced with various risks, engineers and construction teams constantly tried and errored, using the "simultaneous reinforcement method inside and outside the tunnel" that has never been seen in domestic construction. This is almost the sum of all commonly used reinforcement schemes. Inside the tunnel, the construction team adopted an improved and upgraded double-side wall pilot tunnel method. In order to open this tunnel, Chinese and Indonesian engineers fought for 39 months. On August 25, 2022, Tunnel No. 2 was finally completed, marking the completion of all the key and difficult projects of the entire Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed ​​Railway.

At the construction site of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway, engineers from China and Indonesia work side by side, which has become a daily scene. Faced with complex engineering problems, they choose to discuss and learn from each other instead of retreating due to cultural and language barriers.

Since the full-scale construction started in June 2018, nearly 2,000 days and nights have been spent, 13 tunnels have been opened, and 56 bridges have been erected. The construction process of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed ​​Railway has been a process of joint efforts by builders from China and Indonesia.

On March 31, 2023, at Halim Station of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed ​​Railway in Jakarta, Indonesia, workers laid the last steel rail for the entire Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed ​​Railway.

Image source: Xinhua News Agency

03 What other intelligent “black technologies” are there?

As one of the world's fastest commercially operating high-speed trains, the EMU adopts high-standard corrosion-resistant design and advanced protection technology to better adapt to Indonesia's high temperature, high humidity and high salt fog climate environment. It has a "high acceleration" mode, stronger climbing ability, and can more easily cope with the complex slope terrain of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed ​​Railway.

In addition, the train is equipped with more than 2,500 detection points, which can conduct real-time monitoring, early warning and diagnosis of all key systems of the EMU. In addition, it is also equipped with an earthquake early warning system, which can automatically receive earthquake warning information and guide the driver to automatically take measures such as deceleration and emergency stop to improve driving safety.

In response to the hot and humid weather, the train air conditioning system has added an auxiliary dehumidification function, which can control the temperature in the carriage below 26°C and the humidity below 60%. The seats are equipped with charging sockets that conform to local habits. The carriages are also equipped with barrier-free facilities such as disabled toilets, Braille guide signs, and vending machines, coffee machines, microwave ovens and other equipment to provide passengers with a good riding experience.

The Belt and Road Initiative is a long-term and steady journey. The opening of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway represents a victory in technology and cooperation, and is also the result of the joint efforts of China and Indonesia. Are you looking forward to experiencing the "China Speed"?

Comprehensive sources: Xinhua News Agency, People's Daily, CRRC Qingdao Sifang Locomotive and Rolling Stock Co., Ltd., etc.