Jakarta, September 13, 2023 – Indonesian President Joko Widodo, accompanied by several high-ranking officials and public figures, participated in a test run of the high-speed train that will connect Jakarta to Bandung. This trial run is a significant milestone in the development of the country’s high-speed rail system.

The test run took place on Wednesday, September 13, 2023, when President Jokowi arrived at Halim KCJB Station in Jakarta at approximately 08:50 AM local time. He was joined by key government officials, including Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi, Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Erick Thohir, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, Minister of Agrarian and Spatial Planning Hadi Tjahjanto, KCIC President Director Dwiyana Slamet Riyadi, former Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Wishnutama, and Acting Governor of West Java Bey Machmudin. Several prominent celebrities and influencers, such as Raffi Ahmad, Tsamara, Gading Martin, Cak Lontong, and Yuni Shara, also joined the test run.

President Jokowi Widodo delivers his statements to the media at the Padaralang Station, Bandung, West Java, on Wednesday (September 13, 2023).

During the test run, President Jokowi and the delegation experienced the high-speed train’s operation, which covered the route from Halim Station to Padalarang Station. The journey took approximately 28 minutes, with the train reaching speeds of up to 351 kilometers per hour (218 miles per hour). Following this leg of the trip, the delegation continued the journey by taking the High-Speed Train Feeder from Padalarang Station to Bandung Station, which took approximately 20 minutes.

With this high-speed train system, the travel time between Jakarta and Bandung is expected to be reduced to just 50 minutes, significantly improving transportation connectivity between the two major cities.

The “soft launch” of the high-speed train’s operations is scheduled to commence on October 1, 2023. The operation will be implemented gradually, starting with eight train journeys in October. In November, the number of train journeys will increase to 28, followed by 40 journeys in December. By January 2024, there will be a total of 68 train journeys, making this high-speed train an essential transportation link in Indonesia’s infrastructure landscape.