TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Analysis: Rushed tests risk another delay for the Jakarta-Bandung HSR
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
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)
P
T Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC) and the government’s Aug. 18 promised operational date of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR) is met with strong opposition from the Transportation Ministry’s review team, consisting of Mott MacDonald, PwC and Umbra law firm. The ministry and consultants cite serious issues ranging from the construction of Padalarang station being behind schedule, financial issues and a rushed testing period as chief concerns among them.
Starting from the hot sliding tests performed last month, KCIC has a total of three months before the railway is opened to the public in August. This has raised safety concerns from industry experts because the normal expected length for train trial periods is over six months.
Moreover, KCIC still has not been transparent with how it plans to meet its deadline, as it still has not revealed anything about its master schedule. KCIC representatives have guaranteed that Padalarang station will be complete on time, even though the station had only reached a progress rate of 50.18 percent during its most recent inspection on May 14.
Transportation Minister Budi Karya and his review team suggested the operational date of the Jakarta-Bandung HSR be moved as far back as January 2024. The construction of Padalarang station alone is unlikely to finish until at least late December this year, meanwhile there remains a long testing period before the ministry can give the HSR the feasibility certifications necessary to start operations.
Many in the government are not keen on delaying the Jakarta-Bandung HSR any further. Even the most recent Aug. 18 promised date was actually delayed from an earlier mid-June estimate that was made at the start of the year. The new Aug. 18 date is also appealing because it would coincide with celebrations for Indonesia’s 78th Independence Day.
Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, one of the parties who initially coined the Aug. 18 date, clarified his statement in an interview last Friday. The HSR would not be fully operational on Aug. 18, he said, rather, the trains would only serve a limited number of passengers for free on that day, while the full operational date of the HSR is still to be determined.
Along with the full operational date, the ticket fares for the HSR are still undecided. KCIC is currently working with the University of Indonesia’s Center for Testing, Measurement, Observation,and Modelling (POLAR UI) to develop the fares. However, a general manager at KCIC has revealed that the fare may be comparable to existing executive class trains traveling the same routes. An example that can be used as a benchmark could be the Argo Parahyangan (GOPAR) train, which charges up to Rp 200,000 (US$13) for the executive seats in the Jakarta-Bandung route.
