Indonesia plans to expand high-speed railway in Southeast Asia

Hanoi – Indonesian Transport Minister Budi Karya Sumadi has revealed that the Southeast Asian country plans to expand the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway line to Surabaya city in East Java province.

Sumadi said on the sidelines of the launching ceremony of the first high-speed railway (HSR) connecting Jakarta and Bandung on October 2 that a high-speed train would cover the distance between Jakarta and Surabaya in 3.5 hours compared to regular trains, which take 11 hours to complete the journey.

"The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train (KCJB) would only require 29 minutes to reach Padalarang, West Java. If we extend the route, it could reach Surabaya in just 3 to 3.5 hours," he said.

The 142-kilometre Jakarta-Bandung HSR, the first one in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, was developed at an estimated cost of 7.3 billion USD. With a maximum speed of 350 km per hour, this electric train with no direct carbon emissions can help reduce travel time between these two cities from 3 hours to just 45 minutes.

The launch of the high-speed train is considered a critical milestone in modernising Indonesia's transportation system, which is efficient, environmentally friendly and integrated with other public transportation networks.