This photo taken on Nov. 9, 2022 shows electric multiple units being tested for hot-running on the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway trial section in Bandung, Indonesia. (Photo: Xinhua)

A trial section of the Jakarta-Bandung High Speed Railway (HSR) in Indonesia, a landmark project under China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), is now equipped with joint tests conditions, the China Media Group (CMG) reported on Monday.

Experts noted that the joint tests are a process of adjusting track and operational systems and identified defects are adjusted according to the test results.

"During the tests, high-speed trains and other testing equipment are used to gradually assess a number of systems including train control system, signal system, power supply systems and track operation systems along the line, in a bid to ensure that the overall systems meet the requirements for high-speed operations," Sun Zhang, a railway expert at Shanghai Tongji University, told the Global Times on Monday.

On November 9, a hot-running test of the catenary system of the HSR trial section started, as the Chinese-made Electric Multiple Units slowly rolls out from the Tegalluar Station in Bandung.

This was the first time that the Electric Multiple Units which arrived in Indonesia on September 1 appeared on the Jakarta-Bandung HSR track. The success of the hot-running test marked that the high-speed railway's power supply equipment has met the requirements needed to conduct a series of joint tests. 

"Next, the Jakarta-Bandung HSR will enter trial operations," Sun added.

It is expected to enter operation in June 2023, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The high-speed line, which connects Indonesia's capital Jakarta and its fourth-largest city Bandung, will cut the journey between Jakarta and Bandung from over 3 hours to around 40 minutes with a design speed of 350 kilometers per hour.

The railway's electricity system was designed in accordance with China's technological standards, with key equipment all manufactured by Chinese enterprises, acting as a standard bearer for Chinese high-speed railway technology going global as well as an example of the practical cooperation between China and Indonesia under BRI. 

Indonesian President Joko Widodo visited the construction site for the Tegalluar station of the HSR on October 13, saying that the construction achievements will be presented to the world during the G20 Bali Summit, which is held from Tuesday to Wednesday.

On August 21, a set of high-speed electric passenger trains and a testing train for the HSR departed Qingdao port in East China's Shandong Province, marking the first time China's high-speed rolling stock has been shipped abroad.

Four more high-speed trains are expected to arrive in Jakarta by the end of this month, and all 11 high-speed trains of the Jakarta-Bandung HSR will arrive in Indonesia by the beginning of next year to prepare for the opening operation, the CMG reported.

The Jakarta-Bandung HSR is the first high-speed railway in Southeast Asia with a speed of 350 kilometers per hour, a vivid demonstration of Chinese high-speed railway technology including rapid commercial operation speed with safety, Sun noted.

"Sea-rail intermodal transport will become the main way for trade between China and Southeast Asian countries, providing huge space for the development of economic cooperation between China and member countries under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership," Sun added.


Global Times