JakartaGlobe-June 12, 2023
The government is insisting on launching the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail (HSR) in August as planned, even if this means bringing in more Chinese workers to handle initial operations. Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan told reporters on Friday that there would be no delay to commencing the service’s operation, and that the schedule remained unchanged. The day before, a Reuters report citing an internal document said the Transportation Ministry and three consultants had suggested pushing back the date of commercial operations to January 2024 due to unfinished work. Risal Wasal, the ministry’s rail transportation director general, told the Post on Thursday that neither the consultants nor the ministry had made any such recommendation. PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC), the Indonesian-Chinese joint venture responsible for the project, said in a statement on Thursday that the targeted launch date of operations was still in August to coincide with Indonesia’s 78th Independence Day, but it did not mention a launch date for the rail service’s commercial operation. KCIC spokesman Emir Monti said the company would hold a soft opening to allow members of the general public to ride the train from Jakarta’s Halim Station to Padalarang Station in West Bandung, though only a limited number of stations would be ready to serve passengers. Reuters reported that people could ride the train for free starting in mid-August, while the rail service was expected to start charging passengers in September. Aditya Dwi Laksana, who heads the railway forum of the Indonesia Transportation Society (MTI), told the Post on Thursday that pushing to launch the service’s operations in August was a tall order, as its personnel would not be ready by then. Train drivers were likely to have had around five months’ training by July, Aditya said, whereas the standard was eight months’ training to produce experienced HSR drivers with a minimum driving distance of 100,000 kilometers under their belt. Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/world/2023/03/31/rare-delays-at-changi-airport-due-to-immigration-system-issues.html.
