DIGIVESTASI - It is said that the Jakarta-Surabaya travel time will be reduced to only about 2 hours if the WHOOSH Indonesia Fast Train Expansion Project is implemented. Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi explained that the extension of the fast train line to Surabaya will increase the total mileage of the transportation mode to around 900 km.

Currently, the total mileage of the Jakarta-Bandung WHOOSH fast train is around 142 km. He added, with this distance, the travel time for Jakarta-Surabaya by high-speed train is estimated to be around 2 hours. Meanwhile, the travel time for Jakarta-Surabaya by regular train is around 9 hours. Based on Bisnis records, the maximum speed of the WHOOSH Indonesia high-speed train is 351 km/hour.

"You can imagine that the Jakarta-Surabaya distance of 900 kilometers can be covered in about 2 hours," Budi Karya said during the Ministry of Transportation's year-end press conference at the Ministry of Transportation Building. Loading in Jakarta on December 11. Wednesday (December 20, 2023). At the same time, the rapid expansion of railways requires creative financial planning. Budi Karya said that the Ministry of Transportation continues to push this program for transportation infrastructure development projects within the limits of the state budget.

He continued, "This means that there will be investors connecting the Jakarta-Surabaya high-speed rail line." He said the government will conduct a technical design with the initiating investor. After that, the government will open an auction to determine the winner of the tender for the construction of this fast train extension. Budi Karya added that the extension of the high-speed rail line to Surabaya will make this mode of transportation more cost-effective.

In addition, the high-speed train will also be a new means of transportation besides airplanes for those who want to travel to Surabaya. "This high-speed train will rival the use of airplanes," he said.