Indonesia conducts initial study on high-speed railway to East Java
“There is a very preliminary study, just an initial assessment,” the ministry’s Assistant Deputy for Interregional Connectivity Development, Djoko Hartoyo, told ANTARA in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Hartoyo noted that the preliminary study includes three possible route alignments for the Bandung to Surabaya extension.
According to him, the study will serve as the basis for further studies regarding the high-speed railway extension.
“It serves as the basis for the next stage of studies, including determining the route,” he said.
Previously, the Transportation Ministry has stated that the financial restructuring of the Jakarta-Bandung Whoosh High-Speed Railway (KCJB) would serve as the benchmark before the government decides whether to extend the line to Surabaya and potentially Banyuwangi.
The Director General of Railways at the ministry, Allan Tandiono, said the outcome of the financial restructuring would be the government’s key benchmark in evaluating the feasibility of extending the Whoosh line to Surabaya and even Banyuwangi.
He also said that the policy aligns with the directives of the Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY), who also chairs the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway Committee.
Earlier, AHY said that preparations for extending the Whoosh high-speed railway project into East Java are being carried out in parallel with the financial restructuring of PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC), the operator of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (KCJB).
He stated that he had met with the Finance Ministry and Danantara Indonesia regarding plans for Whoosh to operate as far as Banyuwangi.
He added that while developing the subsequent phases of the Whoosh project, the government would ensure that the KCIC’s financial restructuring proceeds on track.
The financial restructuring is considered crucial as it will influence the roadmap for expanding the high-speed railway project into East Java.
President Prabowo Subianto has established the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway Committee, appointing AHY as its chairman.
The appointment was stipulated in Presidential Regulation Number 29 of 2026 on the Second Amendment to Presidential Regulation Number 107 of 2015 concerning the Acceleration of the Development of Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway Infrastructure and Facilities.
Related news: Indonesia pushes mass transportation to ease urban congestion
Translator: Suharsana Aji Sasra J C, Cindy Frishanti Octavia