CTCE strengthens landmark BRI railway in Indonesia

Jakarta-Bandung HSR will run next year and boost local progress

In building Southeast Asia's first high-speed railway in Indonesia, State-owned China Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group has successfully trained nearly 2,000 local technical staff in a bid to ensure the full operation of the railway in 2022.

Starting construction in June 2018, the 142.3-kilometer Jakarta-Bandung HSR is expected to reduce travel time from the current three hours to 40 minutes when it is put into operation next year.

CTCE is building a 25-km line for the Jakarta-Bandung HSR, said Han Xinliang, a publicity official from the CTCE First Engineering Co Ltd. On Nov 25, CTCE builders erected a box girder on the only steel truss bridge on the HSR, marking a cornerstone for the line's construction.

The 84-meter-long steel truss bridge over the Jakarta-Bandung Expressway is the sole such bridge on the Jakarta-Bandung HSR and located on the DIK114 super-large bridge.

The Jakarta-Bandung HSR, jointly built by China and Indonesia, is a landmark project of the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as a national strategic project in Indonesia.

The HSR is under construction by PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China, a consortium involving Indonesia's State-owned companies and China's centrally administered State-owned enterprises.

Nearly 100 technical experts and engineers from China and Indonesia witnessed the box girder's successful passing through of the steel truss bridge on Nov 25, Han said. The Indonesian visitors were representatives from Indonesian government agencies and institutions.

The Jakarta-Bandung HSR will have four stations. Halifax Station is in the Jakarta Urban Area, while Karawang, Walini and Tegal Luar stations are located in West Java. Jakarta is the largest city in Southeast Asia.

In order to ensure successful operations, technicians from the box girder yard of CTCE's Jakarta-Bandung HSR Project measured the various dimensions of the steel truss bridge several times, and mapped a detailed construction plan, including the precise operation of the box girder transport vehicle and the girder erection machine.

With a principle of mutual consultation, construction and sharing, CTCE builders paid close attention to sharing their experiences on the high-speed railway with the Indonesian side, Han said. While respecting Indonesian rules and norms, CTCE staff members have focused on the localization of HSR technologies.

With a practical mode of "a Chinese tutor plus an Indonesia apprentice", CTCE builders continuously helped cultivate nearly 2,000 high-speed railway construction technicians on the Indonesian side.

Aldy Raynaldo, an Indonesian technician, once worked at CTCE project's technical department, doing his job of fixed-point mapping, elevation measurement, piling and cement pouring after learning sophisticated technologies from his Chinese colleagues.

"At CTCE, I have access to use advanced Chinese engineering techniques," he said, adding that working with CTCE builders is also his first formal job upon graduation with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Maranada Christian University.

As the construction of the Jakarta-Bandung HSR is the first of its kind in Indonesia, he is willing to learn from the Chinese on their experiences in infrastructure projects and understand their working methods and advantages.

"With the support from the Chinese and Indonesian governments to the Jakarta-Bandung HSR, I believe that Indonesia's infrastructure can be further elevated," he said, adding the project has great influence on Indonesia's future development. To support the Jakarta-Bandung HSR, CTCE has sent some of its best technical staff to guide the work, Han said.

It is expected the full operation of the HSR will boost local economic and social progress, while promoting Sino-Indonesian economic and trade cooperation along with people-to-people exchanges. It is of vital importance to the advancement of the Belt and Road Initiative, Han said.

Established in November 1950 and with some 23,360 staff members, CTCE is part of China Railway Group Ltd, a centrally administered State-owned enterprise.

At present, CTCE's businesses are in nearly 30 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions across the country. They have also ventured into nearly 20 countries, including Angola, Ethiopia, Mongolia, Indonesia, Panama, Bangladesh and Costa Rica, said Song Heng, a CTCE publicity official.

CTCE's sales reached 209.6 billion yuan ($32.9 billion) in 2020, with a revenue of 113 billion yuan, Song said. Between 2016 and 2020, the company logged 747.5 billion yuan in sales and recorded a revenue of 404.8 billion yuan.