Indonesia's 1st high-speed railway handles one million passengers

The Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR), Southeast Asia's first, has recorded over 1 million passenger trips since its inauguration on October 17.

As the year-end nears, Halim Station in Jakarta is witnessing a surge in passengers using the high-speed train, locally known as 'Whoosh', for their holiday travels or family reunions in Bandung, West Java, as reported by Xinhua News Agency.

The sharp increase in passenger traffic has led PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China (KCIC), a consortium of Indonesian and Chinese firms that manages the HSR, to boost the train services to 48 trips daily from the erstwhile 14.

The HSR, with a design speed of 350 km per hour, links Jakarta's Halim station to Tegalluar station in Bandung, the fourth largest city, reducing the travel time from over three hours to approximately 40 minutes.

The railway, which is the first overseas high-speed railway project completely utilising Chinese railway systems, technology, and industrial components, has made Bandung more accessible from Jakarta, thereby offering more options for travellers, commuters, and separated families, and stimulating local tourism and creating new opportunities.