This aerial photo taken on Feb. 15, 2023 shows the construction site of the last ballastless track slab of Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway in Karawang, West Java, Indonesia. (Xinhua/Xu Qin)
JAKARTA, March 1 (Xinhua) -- The first training class for operation and maintenance personnel of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR) started Monday in Indonesian Railway Vocational Technical School in Madiun City, East Java Province.
Over 170 Indonesian students joined the class and received training for positions of Electric Multiple Units train drivers, operation control center dispatchers, emergency responders, and train mechanics.
The duration of theoretical training will take from one to six months, depending on the specific professions. Upon completion of theoretical training, students will be arranged for practical training on the railway.
The training courses will be provided by the Chinese operation and maintenance management team, as well as Chinese railroad-related colleges and universities.
The preparatory work for training other three groups of Indonesian workers has also started, with a total plan to select and train more than 600 Indonesian operation and maintenance personnel.
At present, all of the subgrade, bridge and station civil works have been completed. The railway is scheduled to start operation in mid-year.
The high-speed line, a landmark project under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, connects Indonesia's capital Jakarta and another major city Bandung.
With a design speed of 350 km per hour, the railway will cut the journey between Jakarta and Bandung from over three hours to around 40 minutes. ■