Bullet trains for Indonesia make debut in Qingdao

Bullet trains for the high-speed railway network linking the Indonesian capital Jakarta and the city of Bandung debuted on Friday in eastern China, marking an important milestone for the railway project, China Railway International said.

A total of 11 sets of bullet trains and an inspection train, all adopting Chinese standards, were unveiled in Qingdao, Shandong province, following a test run on Thursday. They will soon be shipped to Indonesia.

According to China Railway International, a subsidiary of China State Railway Group, which is overseeing the project, the trains, which have been designed and developed by CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co, Ltd, are based on the advanced and mature technologies of China-made Fuxing bullet trains which operate at a speed of 350 kilometers per hour. CRRC has also made changes to adapt to the local environment and routes in Indonesia, and has incorporated Indonesian cultural elements to give passengers a more comfortable traveling experience.

According to the company, the bullet trains have improved functions and can offer quality services.

The trains are painted in red and silver to represent flourishing dynamism. There is also a red polygon pattern to resemble the color and shape of the Komodo dragon, the world's biggest lizard, which lives in Indonesia and is the country's national animal.

The interior of the trains is decorated in grey, red and blue, inspired by the Borobudur Temple－the largest Buddhist temple in the world, as well as Indonesia's national flag and the ocean.

To adapt to local environmental requirements, the trains are equipped with intelligent sensing technology and installed with earthquake monitoring and early warning systems, with more than 2,500 detection points throughout the train.

Each train, which can carry a maximum of 601 people, has eight carriages, including a dining car, a first-class coach car and six second-class coach cars. Two such trains can be linked together to operate when necessary to carry more passengers.

To benefit passengers with special needs, the train has a barrier-free area, with barrier-free seats and handrails, specially designed bathrooms and Braille guide signs.

The dining car has facilities such as a vending machine, coffee machine, refrigerator, microwave oven and dining tables to meet passengers' needs for dining and leisure.

A test train, painted in yellow, will carry out comprehensive inspections of the line, including the track, contact network and communication signals. It will provide strong support for the line's safe operation.

The 243-km line, a landmark project of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, began construction in 2018 and is expected to open to traffic next June.

With trains capable of reaching speeds of up to 350 km per hour, the line will cut the journey between Jakarta and the capital of Indonesia's West Java province from over three hours to 40 minutes.