Contractors building the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway (HSR) celebrated the breakthrough of a tunnel in West Bandung regency yesterday.
It means the 608-metre Walini tunnel, near Walini station, is nearly complete.
"This milestone would further convince Indonesian people that having HSR train serves in Indonesia is not an expectation that cannot be fulfilled," managing director of PT China Indonesia Fast Train (KCIC), Chandra Dwiputra said, reports Xinhua.Â
KCIC is a joint venture consortium by Chinese and Indonesian state-owned firms that runs the 142-km railway.
Walini is one of 13 tunnels comprising the project. Built in 15 months, it has a diameter of 12.6 metres in the inner section and 14.3 metres in the outer section, Chandra said.
The new railway will let people travel between Jakarta and Bandung in about 40 minutes, an improvement on the three-hour trip by car or train now.
Image from Xinhua/Du Yu
