Is Indonesia’s China-backed bullet train worth the hype?

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Indonesia launched the region’s first high-speed train connecting its two biggest cities, Jakarta and Bandung on October 2, 2023. The long-awaited opening is a flagship project for Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Chinese President Xi Jinping under Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative. Indonesian officials expect the rail line to boost the economy in areas along the rail line, but critics have voiced scepticism over the project’s viability.

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[anglo-saxonconnor]

Whether you are a fan or a naysayer in life nothing can change the fact that Indonesia is the first big country in south east asia to achieve and manage to build up this feat today. Congrats.

[gjune]

I love high-speed rail. Takes around 20 minutes to go through security, check-in and boarding. And when the train stops, I can get off right away. I have my luggage with me and I don't need to worry. Even if high-speed rail was 2 hours longer than flying, I would still choose high-speed rail. Only if it is not feasible or the rail travel time is too long would I fly. Congratulations Indonesia.

[Wikileow]

Congratulations to Indonesia! I've travelled from Jakarta to Bandung by car. It is commonly told that the journey by car is 3 hours, but that is not correct. It takes 1 hour to get out of Jakarta travel jam to freeway, then 3 hours on freeway and follow up 1 hour traffic jam into Bandung city. A total of 5 hours. It's definitely worth the money to have the high-speed railway. Debt Trap? It's all Western Media narrative.

[biochemwang]

Yes. It is worth the hype. I am a Chinese currently living in Shanghai. I remember clearly when the first high-speed rail in China became operational in 2008, there were exactly the same doubts among the public. Guess what, all such doubts were gone after only 2 to 3 years. Now we Chinese people just LOVE high-speed rails and are yelling for more.

[therminust]

Fun Fact:
US California HSR is triple cost per km (and still increase) than Indonesia China HSR

[RespectOthers]

Just the prestige of having high-speed railway before the US and India is worth the money.

[nealben]

Congratulations to Indonesia for having the first high speed railway in Southeast Asia.

[victorkmlee]

Yes. It is worth the hype. Sure there were delays and setbacks along the way especially with 2 to 3 years of pandemic but it was accomplished in the end. These projects are often fraught with unexpected uncertainties. The next phase should be easier. SCMP should highlight the progress of Japan's high rail project in India which started around the same time.

[sml]

The problems and delays of this project are insignificant when you considered that here in California, we tried to build high speed rail between San Francisco and Los Angeles for over a decade and nothing significant has been done. It may never be built. So kudos to kudos to Indonesia and China for accomplishing this.

[leonluo]

The cost of this project is cheaper than any other country can do. In the long run it will greatly improved the economy of Indonesia.

[Yan-Yuan]

If China's bullet train 🚅 is a debt-trap, then Indian railway 🚂 must be a death-trap 😂

[Flanker]

The first high-speed rail in the Southern Hemisphere. It is currently the fastest commercially operated high-speed rail in the world at 350 km/h.

[kakatuaa]

Tahniah Indonesia....sy pasti ingin menaiki keretapi ini, insyallah... Salam dari Malaysia

[thiocl]

A four-year delay? In Australia, the high speed train between Melbourne and Sydney has been in various stages of study, proposal, planning, re-prioritization, updated study, renewed proposal, etc, since 1978. A four-year delay is a big achievement by comparison!

[owenlantu]

As a resident of the city of Surabaya, I feel proud and happy with the existence of the first WHOOSH fast train in Indonesia and the first in Southeast Asia and South Asia. This is a breakthrough new for our country to become a developed country. Move this country forward from now, tomorrow and forever. 👍🤜💪🇮🇩

[isalzias]

aku sebagai rakyat indonesia merasa bangga terima kasih china semoga persahabatan ini makin erat dan saling menguntung ke dua negara ini

[zobenny]

据说很多中国汽车厂商和 汽车电池 零件配套的企业 受到鼓舞 想到印度尼西亚投资发展 两个国家聪明的年轻人一起进步 一起携手赚全世界的钱 加油 🇨🇳❤🇮🇩

[MadPunchMan]

This high-speed rail project, in the end, costs around 7 billion USD. Common construction materials are sourced from Indonesian craftsmanship and manufactured locally. The tracks are made by Panzhihua Steel, and in the future, Indonesia may be able to produce them domestically. Indonesia is also rich in mineral resources, and if it can produce steel rails, fasteners, electrical materials locally, it will undoubtedly greatly promote economic and employment growth. In fact, the Indonesian government places a strong emphasis on this sector. If they can expand the local supply chain scale and create a price advantage, there may even be a possibility of China repurchasing from Indonesia. This means that not only the future plans for Kalimantan Island but also railway infrastructure projects in Southeast Asia could see Indonesia becoming a major supplier. Malaysia and Vietnam have delayed their starts, missing opportunities, and now Indonesia is surpassing them. Even landlocked Laos is taking the lead in building railways ahead of Vietnam.

[DWS-]

Time is money, particularly to those people who appreciate time.

[freeworld]

It is new and game changer for south east asia. Now indonsia is part of current trend. it is not fashion hype bs. it is practical and last a long time and making money and making lives easier for indonsia.