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Analysis: Jakarta-Bandung HSR rushes for commercial operation in August
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Officers check the condition of the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) for the Jakarta-Bandung Fast Train Project in Tunnel 1 in the Pondok Gede area, Bekasi DKI, Tuesday, 12/15/2020. The TBM machine has managed to penetrate the tunnel 1 tunnel structure along the 1.8 KM transverse under the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)
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T Kereta Cepat Indonesia Cina (KCIC) is hitting the gas on the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway (HSR) project to meet their promise of being fully operational by Aug. 18 this year by starting their first tests with a comprehensive inspection train (CIT) last week. Some quarters, however, warned a short testing period could compromise safety.
Prior to the CIT tests, the project had only done tests on each system independently, so this is a vital milestone where KCIC begins integrated testing between multiple systems. This first out of a series of integrated tests was a hot sliding test on the railway’s overhead catenary system (OCS). The hot sliding test will be done in phases of increasing intensity.
So far, the OCS installed in the HSR route between Halim station in Jakarta and Tegalluar station in Bandung, West Java, have been able to withstand up to a top speed of 180 kilometers per hour as of the test on last Saturday, which is faster than the average train but still below the 350 km/h expected speed of the Jakarta-Bandung HSR. However, representatives of KCIC said that they will eventually increase the speed of the inspection train performing the tests to 385 km/h.
Before tests are run at speeds that break the sound barrier, walls will be built around the tracks to ensure that nearby residents are not affected by the train, explained State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) deputy minister Kartika Wirjoatmodjo, who is aware of the poor reputation the Jakarta-Bandung HSR project has developed throughout the years.
In preparation for the commercial operation, PT KCIC has been opening recruitment for a number of positions such as conductor, train attendant, passenger service agent at platform and passenger service agent at service counters. PT KCIC has also proposed the fare for the high-speed train of between Rp 250,000 (US$16.72) and Rp 300,000 per trip between Halim and Tegalluar stations. The train will also stop in Kerawang and Padalarang stations.
Some quarters, however, have voiced their reservations over HSR operational target of August. A source said Crossrail International, a United Kingdom-based railway consultant hired by the Transportation Ministry, recommend a longer test run, noting a three-month test run was too short for a high-speed train.
Indonesian Transportation Society executive Aditya Dwi Laksana concurred and suggested KCIC take a longer time for the test run to ensure safety. He compared it with the Jakarta Light Rail Transit (LRT), which runs at much a lower speed on shorter routes, taking a much longer test run. He further suggested the government only symbolically launch the Jakarta Bandung high-speed train during August’s Independence Day celebration, but not for commercial operation.
