The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway (HSR), the first of its kind in Indonesia, has carried 58,000 passengers since it entered service, an official said on Friday.

The China-built HSR, locally known as "Whoosh," began commercial operation earlier this month. The operation not only marks Indonesia entering the HSR era with a modern transportation system, but is also a milestone outcome under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) for China and Indonesia.

With a design speed of 350 km per hour, the 142.3-km HSR cuts the journey between the Southeast Asian country's capital and Bandung in West Java from 3.5 hours to just 46 minutes.

Emir Monti, the manager of corporate communications of PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China (KCIC), a joint venture consortium between Indonesian and Chinese firms that constructs and runs the HSR, told local media that 58,000 tickets have been sold to date with high public enthusiasm.

"We have around 7,000 passengers per day with an average occupancy of 90 percent. This shows that public interest in the high-speed train is very good," he said, adding that the KCIC had increased train services from 14 to 25 daily.

The sudden passenger hike, Monti explained, occurred as the KCIC was currently giving a promotional price of 150,000 Indonesian rupiah (about $9) for a one-way trip. The promotion is valid from October 18 to November 30, he added. 

(With input from Xinhua)