Jakarta-Bandung rail sees 4m passengers after 9 months of operation

JAKARTA - Indonesia's Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway (HSR), locally called Whoosh, recorded on Saturday that it had carried 4 million passengers since it began commercial operations on Oct 17, 2023.

Eva Chairunisa, general manager corporate secretary of PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China (KCIC), said the achievement had proven the high public trust and enthusiasm in Indonesia for the HSR during the nine months of operation.

"We achieved this through the combined efforts and innovations of KCIC and all stakeholders, who continuously strive to enhance our services," Chairunisa said in a statement.

The HSR in Indonesia is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia. With a design speed of 350 kilometers per hour, the train connects Halim station in Jakarta to Tegalluar station in Indonesia's fourth largest city Bandung of West Java province, cutting the travel time between the two cities from over three hours to around 40 minutes.

Chairunisa also said that the existence of Whoosh had a significant positive impact in various sectors, especially tourism and industry in the region.

"The positive impact on tourism strengthens our mission to improve connectivity and support economic growth through efficient and convenient transportation," she said.

She went on to say that KCIC would continue to improve its facilities at stations and on trains to provide more comfort to passengers.