JAKARTA (XINHUA) – The opening ceremony of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR) Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) Educational and Cultural Exchange Base, along with the first Open Day for Rail Enthusiasts event, was held in Indonesia’s Bandung on Saturday.
Nearly 500 people, including railway enthusiasts and students from across Indonesia, attended the event, which was the first occasion for Indonesian people to step inside the train maintenance facility of the Jakarta-Bandung HSR and observe the EMUs up close.
“It’s my first time stepping inside a Jakarta-Bandung HSR EMU. The train is incredibly modern.
Its sleek appearance, coupled with its comfortable interior amenities and an array of advanced technologies, left me amazed,” said Danny, a blogger residing in Bandung, as he gave a thumbs-up to the Jakarta-Bandung HSR train on site.
The Educational and Cultural Exchange Base is aimed at bringing more people closer to the Jakarta-Bandung HSR, facilitating their understanding of Chinese high-speed rail technology, as well as showcasing the achievements of bilateral cooperation.
The base is situated at the Tegalluar EMU Depot Joint Maintenance Facility, where maintenance is conducted for 11 EMUs used for passenger operations, along with one comprehensive inspection train. It features an exhibition hall, covering an area of nearly 200 square metres, which has video and virtual reality presentations to display the related technological achievements, 40 different models of Chinese trains, and various Chinese books.
Indonesia’s Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said at the event that the Jakarta-Bandung HSR exemplifies win-win cooperation between the two countries, and would bring tangible benefits to Indonesia’s transportation sector and drive economic development.
He also expressed his hope for further strengthening the practical cooperation with China in the field of transportation technology.
A landmark project under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, the high-speed line connects Indonesia’s capital Jakarta and another major city Bandung.
With a design speed of 350 kilometre (km) per hour, the railway spanning 142.3km will cut the journey between Jakarta and Bandung from over three hours to around 40 minutes.
