China National Railway reported that the Jakarta Bandung high-speed rail PPP megaproject is making progress despite floods and interruptions due to the coronavirus pandemic. The project involves the construction of a 143.5 km high-speed rail line with an operating speed of 350km/h and is one of Indonesia's first high-speed rail projects.

Most of the Chinese workforce traveled back to China during Lunar new year and has not been able to come back due to travel restrictions. Amid the circumstances, the material supply from China is also affected, but the situation will be normal once the Chinese industry restarts after the COVID-19 lock-down.

Meanwhile, the contractors have completed the Number 5 tunnel on schedule. There are 28 continuous beams on the line, of which 25 are under construction. The longest spans a highway interchange and includes a cable-stayed bridge with a maximum pier height of 25km and 67 sections.

The USD 5.5 billion project is being developed by the Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China (KCIC) joint venture. The design-build-maintain-operate concession term is 50 years. 

The original line opening date was 2019, but due to delays in land acquisition now it is expected to be completed by 2021.  The new line will reduce the journey time between Jakarta and Bandung to 36-44 minutes, compared with three hours on the existing line.