A section of the Jakarta-Bandung HSR contracted to PoweChina under construction Photo:Courtesy of PowerChina

 
After a track-laying equipment accident during the construction of the Jakarta-Bandung High Speed Railway (HSR) on Sunday, the site of the accident has been cleared and construction has resumed on Thursday, the Chinese-Indonesian joint venture in charge of the project told the Global Times, stressing that the accident won't affect the construction quality of the HSR. 

The accident site has been cleared and construction resumed around 2 pm local time on Thursday, according to a statement sent to the Global Times by KCIC, a joint venture consortium between Chinese and Indonesian state-owned firms that runs the line.

The equipment involved in this accident is only used for track laying during the construction period, not for the future operation of the HSR, and will not affect the construction quality and overall construction period of the Jakarta-Bandung HSR, KCIC said.

During a press conference held by the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia on Wednesday, Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Lu Kang said that the brake of construction equipment for track laying of Jakarta-Bandung HSR failed while the equipment was going down a big ramp at about 4:30 pm local time on Sunday, according to the Xinhua News Agency. 

As a result, the equipment derailed and skidded off the subgrade, killing two Chinese workers and injuring two others, and the cause of the accident is still under investigation, Xinhua reported on Thursday.

Lu said that the condition of the two injured workers is stable, with one discharged from hospital on Monday. The construction of the railway has also resumed in an orderly manner. Lu extended his deep condolences to the deceased and their families, saying that the workers came to Indonesia for the construction of the railway and contributed to the cooperation between China and Indonesia.

The Chinese Ambassador also stressed that the accident has nothing to do with the construction quality of the Jakarta-Bandung HSR and has no impact on the railway's operation safety after its completion, adding that it will not affect the overall construction period of the railway, according to Xinhua. 

After the accident, KCIC and the High-Speed Railway Contractor Consortium of Jakarta-Bandung HSR immediately activated an emergency response plan to rescue the injured and carry out a clearance operation at the construction site, according to Xinhua.

Jakarta-Bandung HSR, a major joint project between China and Indonesia, started trial operation in November. The railway, which is expected to be launched in June 2023, will cut the travel time between Jakarta and Bandung to 40 minutes from more than three hours with a design speed of 350 kilometers per hour.

Global Times