This year will be a busy time for state-owned construction company Wijaya Karya (Wika) as it expedites the development of a long-awaited high-speed rail project connecting Jakarta and Bandung, West Java.

The company expects to wrap up 60 percent of the construction this year before its full completion in 2021, said president director Tumiyana.

He said the current development was going well as the company had reached 8 percent of the target by the end of last year, while 90.1 percent of the land had been cleared.

“As of today, the development is ongoing in all sectors [...] tunnels and foundation, all of them are in progress,” he said in Jakarta recently.

“This year, we are focusing on working on the tracks and prioritizing the completion of [the clearing process] of the main lands.”

Wika acts as the leader of PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC), an Indonesia-China consortium for the project, alongside other state-owned companies, such as railway operator KAI and toll road operator
Jasa Marga.

To support the work on tunnels and tracks, KCIC as the project contractor received a tunnel boring machine (TBM) from China earlier this month.

“The TBM is able to construct tunnels for double-track high speed rail, so I am sure the targeted 60 percent [by the end of this year] can be achieved,” said KCIC president director Chandra Dwiputra during a ceremonial event at Tanjung Priok Port, North Jakarta, welcoming the machine.

The TBM, which weighs 3,649 tons with a diameter of 13.19 meters and a length of 105 m, will first be operated in Halim, East Jakarta. The machine will assist the development of a 1,885-meter tunnel called Tunnel #1, one of the planned 22 points along the track to Bandung.

Chandra said the machine would be operated using a shield tunneling method to ensure construction did not affect crowded traffic areas above the ground, like the Cikampek toll road and Jatiwaringin overpass.

The shield tunneling method was much safer than other drilling methods, he said.

“The TBM will work for 24 hours without pause with a drilling rate of between 8 and 10 m per day,” Chandra said, adding that technicians needed 45 days to assemble the machine before its operation in March.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the US$6.07 billion project took place in January 2016. The railway, which will span 142.3 kilometers from Jakarta to Bandung, will connect four stations, with Halim being the one in Jakarta and three others — Karawang, Walini and Tegalluar — located in West Java.

With a speed of 350 km per hour, the train will drastically cut the time of the trip to only 45 minutes from currently 3.35 hours by regular train.

The development of the railway will also be followed by constructions of major transit-oriented development (TOD) projects at four points along the way.

“We haven’t started the TOD [projects] because now we are prioritizing the completion of all works in the major areas. Soon afterward, we can work on the TOD,” Tumiyana said, adding that the company was processing the TOD permit and related documents.

Wika plans to build one TOD project at Halim, which will include a residential and shopping complex built on 4 hectares of land located near the station.

The complex in Halim will also serve as a transit area, which will be connected with Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport, the upcoming light rapid transit (LRT) and Transjakarta buses.

In Walini, Wika plans to open a whole new township, which offers an agrotourism spot combined with education and research centers, such as universities, as well as an integrated healthcare facility.

Some parts of the Walini area would be developed into international tourist spots, said Tumiyana.

“For Walini, now we are redesigning the TOD. Previously, we planned to build it on a 1,200-ha area, now it will be redesigned to cover a 5,000-ha area,” he said.

High speed train project Timeline

Mar. 27, 2015: State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno and Chinese National Development and Reform Committee chairman Xu Shaoshi sign MoU on feasibility study for Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail project with grant worth $5 million

Aug. 10, 2015: Chinese National Development and Reform Commission chairman Xu Shaoshi submits feasibility study on high-speed railway project to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo

Sept. 4, 2015: Government announces that billion-dollar high-speed rail project was scrapped for technical and financial reasons

Oct. 6, 2015: Government issues Presidential Regulation No. 107/2015 on acceleration of infrastructure for Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway project to expedite process.

Oct. 16, 2015: Chinese and Indonesian state-owned companies sign $5.5 billion deal to build Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway after Beijing beat Tokyo to win construction project.

Jan. 21, 2016: Groundbreaking ceremony is attended by President Jokowi, State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno, Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar as well as Chinese State Councilor Wang Yong and China Railway Corp president Sheng Guangzu, among others.

Jan. 29, 2016: President Jokowi issues regulation containing list of about 200 strategic projects, including Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway, giving the project special government attention and backing

March 16, 2016: PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC) joint venture secures concession deal with Transportation Ministry giving it the right to operate the Jakarta-Bandung railway for 50 years starting from May 31, 2019.

March 17, 2016: Government issues railway infrastructure business permit for KCIC, paving way for the joint venture to develop Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail project

July 2016: KCIC widens planned railway track distance to 5 meters from 4.6 m to comply with Transportation Ministry suggestion

Aug. 18, 2016: Government reveals construction permit issued in previous month despite incomplete land procurement

September 2017: Up to 300 plots of land totaling 6.6 hectares to be acquired in Cipinang Melayu for railway construction, Government announces relocation of families living around 250 plots of land owned by Indonesian Air Force near Halim Perdanakusuma airport without monetary compensation

April 5, 2018: After meeting representatives of China Railway Corporation (CRC) in Beijing, State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno assures public that railway construction will commence in May 2018 following years of delay

April 28, 2018: China Development Bank (CDB) disburses $170 million in first loan for project

Aug. 30, 2018: CDB disburses second loan worth $275 million

Oct. 31, 2018: KCIC says land acquisition for project reached 80 percent

Jan. 31, 2019: Tunnel boring machine (TBM) arrives in Jakarta from Zhanghuabang Wharf in Shanghai, China, to help build 1,885-m “Tunnel #1” near Halim, East Jakarta, as first of 22 points to use TBM

Source: From various sources

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