Indonesia gears up to start its first high-speed rail line

By DITA ALANGKARA
Associated Press

BANDUNG, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia is preparing to start Southeast Asia’s first high-speed rail service that will cut travel time between two cities from the current three hours to about 40 minutes. The railway line will connect Indonesia’s capital Jakarta and Bandung, the heavily populated capital of West Java province. It’s part of China’s Belt and Road infrastructure initiative. Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo on Thursday visited Bandung’s Tegalluar station — one of the railway’s four stations where eight train cars and an inspection train are already parked. Infrastructure improvement helped Widodo win a second term in 2019 elections. The manufacturer said the trains are specifically modified for Indonesia’s tropical climate and can track earthquakes, floods and other emergency conditions.