Tunnel project of Jakarta- Bandung high- speed railway launched in ‘ signifi cant’ development

The Walini tunnel portion of the high- speed railway linking the Indonesian capital of Jakarta with Bandung, the country’s fourth- largest city, was launched on Saturday, the Xinhua News Agency reported Saturday.

“I am optimistic about this project, which will be in full swing at the end of August. It means that any obstacles we are facing need to be cleared,” Rini Soemarno, Indonesian state- owned enterprises minister, told Xinhua on Saturday.

The project was previously delayed due to official permits and land compensation issues, she said.

“But as the state enterprise minister who is a shareholder of this project, I will make sure this project will be completed as planned,” she said.

Zhang Wei, general manager of the railway project for the China Railway Engineering Corp, said that the commencement of the tunnel portion will off er a signifi cant demonstration and provide experience for other tunnel construction linked to the project, said the report.

“As the fi rst formal project of the Jakarta- Bandung high- speed railway, the commencement of the tunnel in Walini marks an important step in the overall construction,” Zhang told Xinhua.

Under a deal signed in early April, the 142- kilomter railway project is the first of its kind in Indonesia as well as Southeast Asia.

Expected to be built in three years, the project will shorten the travel time between the two cities from three hours to 40 minutes.