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Delayed China-backed Indonesia railway is due to launch soon. But is it really ‘under control?’
- Jakarta aimed to begin high speed train’s operations last November but with major Belt and Road project unfinished, June became new date, followed by August
- Government now denies that consultants say scheme could be further delayed until January, amid issues including incomplete testing and unfinished stations
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Indonesia is aiming to begin operating the China-funded Jakarta-Bandung high speed railway project in August, dismissing a recent report that the US$7.2 billion scheme will be delayed again and will launch in January.
The flagship of China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Indonesia, initially budgeted to cost US$6.02 billion, has been marred with controversy and hold ups since construction started in 2018.
Jakarta had initially planned to launch the train in November last year, coinciding with the G20 summit so it could be inaugurated by President Joko Widodo and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
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However, the railway was not finished so, at that time, the government said June 2023 was the new operational date target, which has also fallen through.
Southeast Asia’s biggest economy is now leaving no stone unturned for a soft launch in a few weeks time of the train, which will journey 142km (88 miles) from the capital to the city of Bandung in West Java.
02:04
Presidents Xi and Widodo watch Chinese-built Indonesian bullet train make first trial run
Presidents Xi and Widodo watch Chinese-built Indonesian bullet train make first trial run
The planned 45-minute trip, at a maximum speed of 350kph, compares to two to three hours by car or the current three hours by train, with a maximum capacity of 601 passengers.
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