Jakarta-Bandung railway carries over 220,000 passengers during year-end holiday

JAKARTA, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Jakarta-Bandung High-speed Railway (HSR), the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, carried a total of 220,227 passengers in 576 trips during a 12-day year-end holiday from Dec. 22 to Jan. 2, an official said Wednesday.

Eva Chairunisa, General Manager Corporate Secretary of PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia (KCIC), said in a press release that the number is 33 percent higher than that from early December till the start of the holiday season.

"In general, the average daily passengers during the Christmas and New Year holiday reached 19,000 to 20,000," Chairunisa said, adding that the highest number of departures occurred on Dec. 26 with 21,188 passengers, followed by Dec. 23 with 21,151 passengers.

The Chinese-built HSR, locally called Whoosh, began its commercial operation in October 2023. Since then up to Dec. 26, the HSR had handled over 1 million passenger trips. With a design speed of 350 km per hour, it connects Jakarta's Halim station to Tegalluar station in Indonesia's fourth largest city Bandung, West Java province.

Chairunisa said the increase in passenger numbers was driven by increasing demand from people who wanted to try Whoosh to enjoy their year-end holidays. The increase in demand was then met by adding schedules of up to 48 trips per day by the PT KCIC. Despite the surge in passengers, all trips ran smoothly without significant obstacles and unwanted events, she added.

The HSR has made Bandung easily accessible from Jakarta, offering more options for travelers, commuters and families living apart, as well as boosting local tourism and unleashing new opportunities.

"This success is the result of cooperation and collaboration of all parties in providing the best service to passengers. Going forward, we will continue to improve the quality of service so that Whoosh remains people's favorite mode of transportation," she said.