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Govt reaffirms Jakarta-Surabaya high speed railway, wants to involve China
The government is considering a plan to extend ongoing Jakarta-Bandung high speed railway megaproject to Surabaya, despite facing multiple delays on the existing development, in a bid to make the project more economically viable.
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Workers stand beside an Electric Multiple Unit high-speed train for a rail link project part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, at Tegalluar train depot in Bandung, West Java province, Indonesia, on Oct. 13. (Reuters/Yuddy Cahya Budiman)
T
he government is considering a plan to extend the ongoing Jakarta-Bandung high speed railway megaproject to Surabaya, East Java, despite facing multiple delays on the existing development, in a bid to make the project more economically viable.
Currently, the Jakarta-Bandung high speed railway project runs through military-run airport Halim Perdanakusuma, Karawang, Padalarang before ending in Tegalluar -- roughly 19 kilometres to Bandung, West Java.
Extending the project to the far east of Java will connect Yogyakarta and Surakarta, Central Java, as well, before stopping in Surabaya. The government claimed it would also cut the Jakarta to Surabaya, East Java, trip to just four hours from currently more than ten hours.
Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Coordinating Minister of Investment and Maritime Affairs, said on Friday that the Jakarta-Bandung high speed railway remains a good project despite years of delays since its initial completion target in 2019, while extending it to Surabaya could benefit the country more.
“If the government continue this to Surabaya, I think it will make [transportation cost in] Indonesia more efficient,” Luhut told reporters after an event with China Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia.
Read also: China or Japan: Govt mulls over Jakarta-Surabaya railway plans
Asked whether the government would choose between China or Japan to execute the extension, Luhut said that he preferred the former.
