'What Can Indonesia Gain from Having High Speed Railway'

Liputan6.com, Beijing - Indonesian President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo sought to reach final decision on who to cooperate with in the construction of High speed Railway connecting Jakarta- Bandung. Two countries have made offers: Japan and China. ‪

President Jokowi has come to his final decision.

For Jakarta- Bandung route with proximity reported to be 150 km, President thinks it is more than suffice to utilize moderate type of train with the speed of 200- 250 km/hour. Not the originally speculated 300-350 km/hour.

Jokowi however, is still determined to make furtherance of high speed railway development for long range route such as Jakarta- Surabaya. ‪

Liputan6.com has just recently given the opportunity to sit down and perform an interview with the Deputy of Chief Engineer of China Railway, Zhao Guotang.

In the interview, discussions on Highspeed railway contribution to China’s development and benefits to Indonesia in acquiring such advanced mode of transportation were being examined in detailed manner. ‪ 

According to Mr. Zhao Guotang, Highspeed railway is a very efficient mode of transportation. People are given the opportunity of reaching their final destination in a relatively short period of time. It also helps cut the time needed for people to travel back home so that they can meet their families and friends on time with no hindrance from traffic build up. ‪

Zhao went to share a story back when he was in his university year. He described the challenges he met in using the old- fashioned train. ‪”The old fashion train was packed with sea of people. Normally, id seat on the floor or the bathroom floor. It was not at all convenient,” he shared to Liputan6.com. 

“Highspeed railway gives us the opportunity to experience a comfortable, convenient and memorable trip,”he continued. “In China, we value familial bonds and relationship and thus the presence of highspeed railway allows us to meet with our loved ones quicker and thus helps us maintain good relations with our families,” ‪he added.

According to him, constructing railway is not as difficult as it sounds. The main challenge however is the operational part. ‪”Should the operational management show ineffectiveness, then it would affect many aspects such as passengers safety and profits gain,” he further explained. 

Video on special interview held with Mr. Zhao Guotang, Deputy Chief Engineer China Railway as follow: