Indonesia scraps fiercely contested rail project in favor of slower train

wow bad move from indonesia

Smart move. Vietnam's parliament did the same: they told the Japanese to stick their bullet train up their XXX. The reason: too expensive.

Hard to figure out who would ride high-speed rail in Indonesia, where social disparities are so wide. Certainly not the lower income groups. And not the wealthy or even the middle class, who love their comfy air-conditioned cars so much.

Cheap affordable rail is the solution. Vanity projects are not.

Well stated Jefflee

Bribes are in... so now just say we can't afford it and keep the money.

Was Indonesia listening to Somewhere Over The Rainbow when they decided first on the bullet train? What a waste of time! Didn't I read that japan had spent 600 million + just on there proposal? Idiots or just corrupt.

This plan was a farce from the beginning with the Indonesian government not willing to issue a guarantee of obligation or place any of the plan on the fiscal budget. Basically it means even if it is constructed the government can waiver the cost.

Smart move. Build within your means. Marked contrast with the UK government's ridiculously grandiose high-speed London to Manchester link idiot plan.

This would make very little difference, they run on the same infrastructure.

I see someone in the Dept. Of Transport submitted the Simpsons episode "Monorail" and the government saw sense.

Totally agree with Indonesia. In Italy they tried to make an high speed train running on standard tracks, to compete with air transport. Result: total crap. Local connections sacrificed to give precedence to longer distance convoys; skyrocketing and hourly and ever changing prices for the same service; same delays as before and unreliability; curtailed services outside main routes. Italy as many other countries is small and do not need high speed trains. it just need a reliable and affordable service. In the past it was slow and with delays, but it was cheap and it connected every town. Now there are not even stations anymore: they are all closed. You have to go looking for an open bar to purchase a ticket if you do not leave from a main city.

How far from Singapore to KL?

Probably smare secision by INDONESIA. But Japan may propose old local slow train system in rural area someqhere in JAPAN,

I lived in Surabaya for quit some time and often boarded the night train for Jakarta, nice view, tasty meals, what more??? I enjoyed it very much

Maybe one day Indonesia will have high-speed rail, but being indebted for half a century seems foolish.

Since a 150 km distance is ridiculously short for a high speed train, the Indonesian government is taking a wise decision. Not just going for expensive projects with little real practicality, you know like they do so often in our dear Japan.

The Indonesian coordinating Minister for the Economy Darmin Nasution had a nice way to explain the decision:

Although the speed could be 300 kph, the train would not be able to reach the maximum speed, because before it reaches the speed, the brake has to be put on.

Beautiful!

The ultimate plan was to connect all the way to Surabaya 730 Km away on the east coast much like HS2 of England with the ultimate plan to connect to Scotland.

Rebid? Purchasing work this way. The original requisitioned spec is "high speed railway". The bid or pro-forma invoice betray trade secrets on price design. Most likely, THERE IS A WINNING BID after the bid deadline. It follows that if the project was cancelled in lieu of a slower railway, then, there is a BREACH. Therefore, a rebid is be A TRAP. There needs, first, a "FIX" on the BUYER's procurement procedures, INDONESIA. The supplier, JAPAN, need not re-bid. A TRAP. Let the Chinese "FIX" the deal. Warranty none on Chinese Toy e-commerce retailing, their one view of their customers. YKK good. Wear last.

World's biggest business that exist in the field of Railways is in India where the government is going to spend hundreds of billion dollars on upgradation and modernization of the entire railway system including providing and raising the facilities to the passengers at railway stations to the global level. Japanese companies have enormous business opportunities existing in India and the work is so huge that it will take at least a decade for them to complete.