Indonesia's construction of SEA's first high-speed rail pushes security demand

Indonesia has started construction of South East Asia’s first high-speed rail link between Jakarta and the West Java provincial capital of Bandung. Worth US$5.5 billion, the project is a joint venture between an Indonesian consortium and China Railway International, PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China, who is building the 142.3 kilometer high-speed rail line. About 75 percent of the funding for the project will come from China Development Bank, and the remaining from a Chinese railway company and Indonesian consortium.

The line will connect Jakarta with Bandung, and is a key part of President Joko Widodo’s plans to overhaul the archipelago’s infrastructure and attract investors. Construction of the project is expected to end in 2018, with the line scheduled to begin operations in 2019. The high-speed line will cover eight stations on the route, and the trains will travel at a speed of approximately 250km/h. Following completion, the high-speed train system will be integrated at both ends with the Mass Rapid Transport in Jakarta, and the Light Rail Transit System in Bandung.

In order to provide safety and secure management, it would be important for the government to focus their efforts in adding security protocols in the stations, as well as on board the high-speed rail.