Cooperation proves vital in designing new route in Indonesia

Cooperation between China and Indonesia was promoted in designing the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway in the Southeast Asian nation.

Xia Jian, senior engineer at China Railway Design Corp, who led the line's design, said, "We always adhered to the principle of 'discussion and sharing' in planning the line."

The new route, which is expected to open in June, is China's first overseas railway project to fully adopt Chinese technologies and standards.

China Railway Design Corp carried out in-depth cooperation with universities and consulting companies in many fields, such as geological surveys, material and equipment localization, hydrological analysis and calculation, and building design.

The company and the Institute of Technology Bandung studied differences in the railway standards of China and Indonesia. They researched special clay, seismic design for tunnels and track beds, and other topics.

China Railway Design Corp was involved in field experiments and tests on bridge pillars and also on clay for track bed and slope protection. This work meant that many technological difficulties had to be overcome.

The line is located on the Indonesian island of Java at the intersection of the Eurasian Plate, the Pacific Plate and the Indian Ocean Plate－an area where there are frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Complex geological conditions along the line, including active volcanoes, earth fractures and landslides, made the selection of technical standards and engineering solutions for the project extremely difficult.

Xia, who has been involved with the project since 2015, from the bidding to the design and construction stages, said, "I have witnessed the line moving from the drawing board to the field."

He has worked on the project in Indonesia for more than four years.

Xia and his team tackled technological problems such as earth settlement and active fracture zones.

The new line marks the first time that China has used its high-speed railway standards for an overseas project.

The 142-km link, with a designed speed of 350 kilometers per hour, will cut the journey time between Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, and Bandung, capital of West Java province, from about three hours to 40 minutes.