Photo taken on Sept. 2, 2022 shows a high-speed electric passenger train, customized for the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway, being unloaded from a vessel in Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta, Indonesia. A high-speed electric passenger train and an inspection train, made in China and customized for the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR) project, arrived in the Jakarta Port from China's Qingdao Port on Thursday. (Photo: Xinhua)

Indonesian President Joko Widodo visited the construction site of the Tegalluar station of the Jakarta-Bandung High-speed Railway, a project under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), on Thursday local time, saying that the construction achievements will be presented to the world during the upcoming G20 Bali Summit, China Media Group reported. 

The presentation will further demonstrate the good cooperation between the Indonesian and Chinese governments, Widodo said. 

Widodo also said that "this will be the first high-speed rail in ASEAN and we hope this will increase connectivity between countries, whether this (the railway) will be connected further to an airport or other high-speed railways," according to a Reuters report on Thursday.

The Indonesian president noted that the high-speed project is 88.8 percent complete and its commercial launch is expected in June 2023, said the Reuters report. 

As the first high-speed rail in Southeast Asia, and the first high-speed rail project launched overseas that fully uses Chinese technology, standards and equipment, the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway will be a perfect sample for China to showcase its railway advantages during the G20, Sun Zhang, a railway expert at Shanghai Tongji University, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Sun noted that as a landmark project under the BRI, operation of the project, combined with the China-Laos Railway, will greatly boost trade among BRI countries.

For Indonesia, completion of the rail project will enable it to quickly integrate into the efficient international transportation network, and thus further open up to the global market and get on track to a fast development path, Sun said.

During the visit, Widodo noted that the overall construction of the railway is progressing smoothly, as involved parties have been promoting high-quality construction by conquering obstacles, including the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Sun said that difficulties such as the epidemic during the construction process extended the construction time. "In China, it normally takes three to four years for the construction of a high-speed rail system like the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway," he said.

The 2023 launch is on track despite ongoing negotiations between the two countries about the project being over-budget, according to the Reuters report.

Regarding cost overruns and financing concerns, Sun said that "it's understandable," advising careful and candid negotiations between the two sides to properly settle the problem.

The Straits Times reported that construction on the 142-kilometer rail link began in 2016, and it is expected to begin serving the public in November 2023. 

The train will cut the journey from two and a half hours to 45 minutes by running at speeds over 200 kilometers per hour.  

Global Times