At One Million Passenger Trips, Indonesia's First High-Speed Rail Surpasses Expectations

The market for high-speed rail (HSR) has spoken, with the Jakarta-Bandung HSR handling more than one million passenger trips since its official operation on 17 October.

It may be recalled that Indonesian President Joko Widodo inaugurated he first bullet train in the country — and Southeast Asia — on 2 October, one day later than the previously anticipated 1 October.

The project is part of China’s Belt and Road Infrastructure Initiative (BRI) and was built under the Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (PT KCIC) consortium, which comprises four Indonesian state-owned companies and China Railway International, a subsidiary of China Railway Group.

The high-speed train is named "Whoosh" derived from the Indonesian phrase "Waktu Hemat, Operasi Optimal, Sistem Handal," translating to "timesaving, optimal operation, reliable system".

However, the total cost for the Jakarta-Bandung route has surpassed initial estimates, ranging between $7.2 billion to $7.5 billion instead of the originally projected $5.5 billion. This has led Indonesia to dip into state coffers to cover the additional expenses.

Nevertheless, the impressive record-breaking ridership numbers are likely to alleviate these doubts for the time being, undoubtedly enhancing the prestige of the high-speed rail project — a key initiative for President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

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