One of the biggest investment projects in Indonesia, a high-speed railway between the capital Jakarta and Bandung in West Java, is set to be completed as soon as 2022. And as Silkina Ahluwalia reports there are expectations China's first overseas high-speed rail project will help transform infrastructure in Indonesia. 

Indonesians will soon experience travel on the fast lane. The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway is considered a mega infrastructure project between China and Indonesia.

ZHANG CHAO Finance Director, China Indonesia High-Speed Railway "China and Indonesia are equally co-operating financially towards this project. Through this financial co-operation, we can achieve a win-win solution. We are here to share the successes and risks of this project."

The 6-billion dollar investment is already bringing plenty of economic benefits to Indonesia, on a micro and macro level. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the team were able to employ at least 13,000 people. They are expected to open up even more job opportunities in the future, employing more than 30,000 locals across the region.

XIAO SONGXIN Project Director, China Indonesia High-Speed Railway "We officially began construction in 2018. Currently, our progress stands at 70 percent for the overall project. We are now building the stations which we have achieved 35 percent completion. We are also preparing power systems including signalling, telecommunication and power supply."

The railway will cut travel time between Jakarta to Bandung, West Java to 45 minutes, faster than the usual three hours by road.

SILKINA AHLUWALIA Jakarta, Indonesia "This project marks a new era in Indonesia's public transportation system. Commuting in one of the world's most congested cities can be very stressful and time-consuming. The high-speed railway is exactly what Indonesia needs to improve and modernize its transportation industry."

Experts say the project is not only going to change the hard structure of transportation in Indonesia, but it will also transform social behaviors.

JONA WIDAGDO International Relations Expert, Ministry of Maritime and Investment "In the hub or the centers, this high-speed railway is going to stop; it's also going to attract new business centers or business transit centers. I think it's more going to change how socially people interact and behave because of the high speed railway, it will also create more new social and economic centers in between the lines, the high-speed railway is going to move forward."

This railway could be the solution to Indonesia's urban mobility needs, where the main aim is to reduce travel time by improving public transport. Silkina Ahluwalia, CGTN, Jakarta.