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High-speed rail in Indonesia
Indonesia operates a single high-speed rail service between the country's capital and largest city Jakarta, and third largest city Bandung. It is branded as Whoosh (short for Waktu Hemat, Operasi Optimal, Sistem Hebat, lit. 'Timesaving, Optimal Operation, Outstanding System') and operated by Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC).
The Whoosh is the first high-speed railway in Southeast Asia and the Southern Hemisphere. It covers a distance of 143 kilometres (89 mi) with a maximum operating speed of 350 km/h (220 mph), and design speed of KCIC400AF train of 420 km/h (260 mph), making it the fastest commercially operating railway network in the world, tied with a handful of lines in China. The travel time between the two cities averages 45 minutes, down from 3 hours with the existing railway line.
Construction started in August 2018, with the cost of $7.3 billion to build, the line began trial operation with passengers on 7 September 2023 and commercial operations on 17 October 2023. The Whoosh high-speed train has served 6.06 million passengers during a full year in 2024. As of September 2024, there are 62 daily trips of Whoosh.By 17 October 2025, in its second year of operation, Whoosh high-speed rail has transported 12 million passengers without any accidents.
As of 2025, the line is unprofitable and has been described as a "financial time bomb" and a Belt and Road Initiative "cautionary tale".
Many of the criticisms directed at the Whoosh high-speed rail stem from animosity towards President Jokowi, anti-China sentiments, as well as Sinophobia and anti-Chinese racism.
Concepts for high-speed rail (HSR) in Indonesia were first seriously contemplated in 2008, leading to discussions at Asian Investment Summit in 2013, and detailed plans being set forth in 2015. The plan to start construction of the Jakarta-Bandung HSR was announced by the Indonesian government in July 2015, after the Chinese President and other world leaders visited the Bandung Conference.
Both Japan and China expressed their interest in the high-speed rail projects in Indonesia. Previously, both countries had carried out comprehensive studies into a project for the Jakarta–Bandung section (142.8 km (88.7 mi)). Only the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), had issued a study for a project extending to Surabaya (730 km (450 mi)). The Indonesian HSR bid marked a rivalry between Japan and China in their competition for Asian infrastructure projects.
Since 2008, Japan has been working on a plan to export their Shinkansen high-speed railway technology to Indonesia. During the Indonesia-Japan Friendship Festival in November 2008, Japan showcased their Shinkansen technology to Indonesian audiences. The idea of high-speed rail backed by funding through soft loans has been proposed by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the Indonesian island of Java, linking up the densely populated corridor from the capital Jakarta to Surabaya (730 km (450 mi)). The island, similar in many respects including terrain and urban density to pre-HSR Honshu, suffered greatly from both freight and passenger congestion.
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High-speed rail in Indonesia
Indonesia operates a single high-speed rail service between the country's capital and largest city Jakarta, and third largest city Bandung. It is branded as Whoosh (short for Waktu Hemat, Operasi Optimal, Sistem Hebat, lit. 'Timesaving, Optimal Operation, Outstanding System') and operated by Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC).
The Whoosh is the first high-speed railway in Southeast Asia and the Southern Hemisphere. It covers a distance of 143 kilometres (89 mi) with a maximum operating speed of 350 km/h (220 mph), and design speed of KCIC400AF train of 420 km/h (260 mph), making it the fastest commercially operating railway network in the world, tied with a handful of lines in China. The travel time between the two cities averages 45 minutes, down from 3 hours with the existing railway line.
Construction started in August 2018, with the cost of $7.3 billion to build, the line began trial operation with passengers on 7 September 2023 and commercial operations on 17 October 2023. The Whoosh high-speed train has served 6.06 million passengers during a full year in 2024. As of September 2024, there are 62 daily trips of Whoosh.By 17 October 2025, in its second year of operation, Whoosh high-speed rail has transported 12 million passengers without any accidents.
As of 2025, the line is unprofitable and has been described as a "financial time bomb" and a Belt and Road Initiative "cautionary tale".
Many of the criticisms directed at the Whoosh high-speed rail stem from animosity towards President Jokowi, anti-China sentiments, as well as Sinophobia and anti-Chinese racism.
Concepts for high-speed rail (HSR) in Indonesia were first seriously contemplated in 2008, leading to discussions at Asian Investment Summit in 2013, and detailed plans being set forth in 2015. The plan to start construction of the Jakarta-Bandung HSR was announced by the Indonesian government in July 2015, after the Chinese President and other world leaders visited the Bandung Conference.
Both Japan and China expressed their interest in the high-speed rail projects in Indonesia. Previously, both countries had carried out comprehensive studies into a project for the Jakarta–Bandung section (142.8 km (88.7 mi)). Only the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), had issued a study for a project extending to Surabaya (730 km (450 mi)). The Indonesian HSR bid marked a rivalry between Japan and China in their competition for Asian infrastructure projects.
Since 2008, Japan has been working on a plan to export their Shinkansen high-speed railway technology to Indonesia. During the Indonesia-Japan Friendship Festival in November 2008, Japan showcased their Shinkansen technology to Indonesian audiences. The idea of high-speed rail backed by funding through soft loans has been proposed by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the Indonesian island of Java, linking up the densely populated corridor from the capital Jakarta to Surabaya (730 km (450 mi)). The island, similar in many respects including terrain and urban density to pre-HSR Honshu, suffered greatly from both freight and passenger congestion.