With the roaring of excavators and dumpers, the construction of Tunnel 4 for Indonesia’s Jakarta–Bandung High-speed Railway began in July 2018. The railway, which is 150 km long with an investment of US$5.135 billion and the maximum speed designed at 350 km/h, connects Jakarta (capital of the country) and Bandung (fourth largest city of the country). It is a landmark project promoted by China and Indonesia under the “Belt and Road” Initiative and the first order received by China High-speed Railway under the “Going Out” strategy.
Indonesia, located in the southeast of Asia, is the largest economy in Southeast Asia and a critical partner for China’s “21st Century Maritime Silk Road” strategy. The construction of Jakarta–Bandung High-speed Railway is of great significance to the formation of the Pan-Asian railway network and the interconnection of transportation infrastructure between China and “Belt and Road” countries. However, Indonesia is known as the world's largest archipelago country with a hot and rainy weather all the year round and a complex terrain. Building a 350 km/h high-speed railway line across mountains is a big challenge. Under these circumstances, XCMG’s 21-ton hydraulic excavator has become the main force in the excavation work for the construction of the railway line.
In the construction of a tunnel, the role of the excavator is to remove earth and rock from the tunnel and build sidewalks, open the portal, flatten the slope of the portal, etc. Due to the limited space and high humidity in the tunnel, the excavator’s engine must be equipped with excellent circulation and intake systems and the whole equipment must be highly flexible. The head of the project said, “Tunnel 4 of the Jakarta–Bandung High-speed Railway is located in a mountainous area, with a total length of 1,315 meters. The soil is soft and the average depth of most sections of the tunnel is only 20 meters and buried shallow, which makes the construction work very difficult. At the same time, Indonesia will enter the rainy season soon after July, so we need highly sensitive and stable equipment to ensure that the entrance of the tunnel can be completed before the rainy season.
With its excellent quality, stable performance and extremely high efficiency, XCMG’s excavator is able to operate at a high intensity and a high load, which ensures smooth progress for the construction of the tunnel and is fully recognized by the contractor. As the Jakarta–Bandung High-speed Railway advances, XCMG’s excavator stands out on the Indonesian market and consolidates its market position in the country.
The Jakarta–Bandung High-speed Railway is the first high-speed railway in Indonesia and the ride between the two cities will be shortened to 40 minutes from over 3 hours after its completion, which will play a significant role in increasing employment opportunities, improving the people’s livelihood, alleviating the traffic pressure between Jakarta and Bandung effectively and promoting Indonesia’s socio-economic development.
