With the all-new high-speed train dubbed Whoosh, travellers from Jakarta can reach Bandung, West Java, in only 45 minutes, travelling speeds of up to 350 kilometres per hour, and featuring carriages with luxurious interiors.
Indonesia now officially operates Southeast Asia’s first high-speed railway, launched on 2 October 2023, set to encourage and entice the public to use public transportation, and – hopefully – reduce private car-use and congestion. The arrival of this new state-of-the-art train has been welcomed with enthusiasm, sparking a call for more services like it across Indonesia.
The onomatopoeic name, ‘Whoosh’, has been used to highlight the train’s incredible speed (‘wus!’ in Indonesian), but is also, in classic Indonesian manner, an abbreviation for Waktu Hemat, Operasi Optimal, Sistem Hebat (time saving, optimal operation, reliable system). The Chinese-made bullet train runs on electricity with no direct carbon emissions.
It is a variant of the CR400AF from China’s CRRC Qingdao Sifang manufacturer, capable of reaching a maximum operational speed up to 350 kph, cutting travel time between Jakarta and Bandung from three hours to under less than an hour, travelling along 142.3-kilometres of track. The only other country that has trains with the same operating speed is China. By comparison, Japan’s Shinkansen has a maximum operating speed of 320 kph.
The train begins at Halim railway station in East Jakarta and passes through Karawang and Padalarang stations before stopping at Tegalluar on the outskirts of Bandung City. Each Whoosh train features eight carriages with modern design and spacious seating, equipped with WiFi, USB charging points, luggage racks, bag hangers, minibar, and accessible toilets. There are three classes that passengers can choose; First, Second, and VIP.
This first Jakarta-Bandung journey is the flagship route for Whoosh, with plans to expand the service across Java, including routes to Surabaya and Jogjakarta in discussion.
Find out more at www.ticket.kcic.co.id
