Builders from China Railway No.4 Engineering Group Co., Ltd (CREC4) made new headway on the Jakarta-Bundung High-speed Railway in Indonesia, when staff from the CREC4 No 4 beam fabrication yard finished prefabricating and erecting all the 1,066 box girders for the line on September 7.
Three beam fabrication yards have been established for building the 142-kilometer Jakarta-Bundung HSR, and the CREC4 No 4 beam fabrication yard is in charge of prefabricating and erecting 1,066 box girders — extending from the previous-planned number of 1,007.
As the first high-speed railway in Indonesia as well as in Southeast Asia, the $8-billion Jakarta-Bandung HSR is Chinese HSR’s first systemic footprint overseas, incorporating whole supply chains. It is is expected to operate in June 2023.
The CREC4 yard is the birthplace for the first beam showcasing Chinese HSR’s first systemic footprint overseas, and also the first “smart beam fabrication yard” in showing Chinese HSR’s first footprint overseas.
In order to precast the beams in a safe, high-quality and efficient manner, staffers at the yard handled well on anti-COVID measures and engineering work, safeguarding the prefabrication and erection job successfully.
As a signature link of Belt and Road Initiative, the Jakarta-Bundung HSR allows a maximum designed speed of 350 kilometers per hour for the trains.
Due to issues concerning land acquisition, relocation of high-voltage lines, continued impact of COVID-19 and funding, the full operation of the Jakarta-Bandung HSR is now expected to come by June 2023.
The HSR, which fully started construction in June 2018, was previously scheduled to start operation by the end of 2022.
The 142.3-kilometer Jakarta-Bundung HSR, of which CREC4 is building a part, is expected to reduce the travel time from the current three hours to 40 minutes upon operation, said Han Xinliang, publicity chief of CREC4 First Engineering Co Ltd.
With a principle of mutual consultation, construction and sharing, CREC4 builders paid high attention in sharing their experiences on high-speed railway with the Indonesian side, Han said.
The HSR is under construction by PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China, a consortium involving Indonesia’s State-owned companies and China’s central State-owned enterprises.
With a practical mode of “a Chinese tutor + an Indonesia apprentice,” CREC4 builders have helped to cultivate nearly 2,000 high-speed railway construction technicians for the Indonesian side.