Indonesian models with scale models of Chinese-made bullet trains on exhibition at a shopping mall in Jakarta on Aug
span class="inline inline-center">
After the government's dumping of plans to build a high-speed railway to connect Jakarta and Bandung, the Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution has said that the government is now preparing to develop a semi-high-speed rail.
The government rejected proposals for building the high-speed railway from both China and Japan due to technical and financial reasons. Semi-high-speed rail is seen as a more feasible alternative because it is less expensive and more efficient for the planned route.
'We will form a team to put together a framework for the rail project; not only looking the service, but also maintenance standards and links with bus services,' said Darmin as quoted by Antara news agency on Friday.
Darmin sees the framework as a guideline for the rail project and the development of areas surrounding the rail.
'We were recently made aware of the possibility of a semi-high-speed railway, but have not received further information yet. We are still waiting on details. Now that we have switched the project to B-to-B [business to business], we don't know if Japan's private company is interested,' said Darmin.
The government rejected high-speed rail proposals because, it says, the route is more suited to semi-high-speed rail, which runs at 200 to 250 kilometers per hour, compared to high-speed rail runs at 300 to 350 kph. (rad/bbn)
Your thoughts matter - share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.