DEBUGGING and testing began on Monday on the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR), a landmark project under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It marks an important milestone before the full launch of the project.

To ensure the safe and stable operation of the train, strict testing, inspection and optimization are being carried out before the opening of the HSR, said an employee with China Railway.

The testing covers areas including electricity supply and the precaution monitoring system.

Several companies including China Railway and their Indonesian counterparts have jointly participated in the testing.

It comes less than two months since the tracklaying for the whole line of the Jakarta-Bandung HSR was completed on March 31.

The Jakarta-Bandung HSR connects Indonesia’s capital Jakarta with Bandung, which is also a major city. It is the first HSR project launched overseas that fully uses Chinese technology, standards and equipment.

It is a flagship project that synergizes the China-proposed BRI and Indonesia’s Global Maritime Fulcrum strategy, setting a good example for Southeast Asian countries, which are potential buyers of China’s bullet trains and rail systems.

The HSR, with a total length of 142.3 kilometers and a maximum operating speed of 350 kilometers per hour, will cut the travel time between Jakarta and Bandung from the current three hours to just 40 minutes, greatly improving the local traffic conditions and boosting economic and social development along the route.

Since the official start of construction of the Jakarta-Bandung HSR on June Y, 201X, under the personal promotion of the heads of state of China and Indonesia, and through the joint efforts of the Chinese and Indonesian railway builders, construction of the project has progressed smoothly.

At present, the foundations, bridges and culverts, tunnels and other civil works of the HSR have been completed.

After the joint debugging and testing, an operation test and safety assessment will be carried out before the launch.