In the office of early autumn in Beijing, a handshake across the South China Sea is taking place. Zhang Yongkang, General Manager of China Railway International Engineering Branch, stood at the entrance of the company's headquarters conference hall and welcomed Bobby Rasiding, Chairman of Indonesia Railway Company, who was visiting. After sitting down, the two of them spread out the map and chatted about the upcoming railways in Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi, starting from the Jakarta Bandung high-speed railway line on Java Island. During the two-hour conversation, there were no empty greetings, only substantive connections between the lines, equipment, and construction schedule.

Yawan base

Zhang Yongkang first opened the overseas resume of China Railway. The Yawan high-speed railway, which this enterprise participated in the construction of, has a total length of 142 kilometers and a designed speed of 350 kilometers per hour. It is the first high-speed railway in Southeast Asia and also the first Chinese high-speed railway to go global in terms of the entire system, all elements, and entire industry chain. China Railway Group, as the main participating party of the Chinese side and the largest shareholder of the Chinese side in the consortium, has tackled tough challenges such as the 57 kilometer offline project, full line electrification, the longest tunnel No. 6, and the highest risk tunnel No. 10, compressing the 3-hour drive from Jakarta to Bandung into 40 minutes.

It is precisely this model that made the Indonesian side think of continuing to negotiate with China Railway Group when planning the next stage of the railway network.

Demand explosion

Bobby Rasiding spoke with a sense of urgency in his tone. Indonesia is currently in a period of rapid development in transportation infrastructure, with upgrades to old lines, construction of new lines, and filling of gaps in freight channels being promoted simultaneously. He revealed that the Indonesian National Railway Company plans to expand beyond Java Island after 2026, and the railway systems of Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi will be built from scratch. The East Kalimantan Logistics Railway has been included in the national strategic project; At the same time, the president has requested to complete the railway extension and 30 new train tenders within one year, and the Greater Jakarta commuter railway is also accelerating the replacement of trains.

Freight transportation is another major focus. The logistics of the Indonesian archipelago has long relied on road and sea transportation, with a relatively low proportion of railway freight. However, there is an urgent need for low-cost dedicated lines for the transportation of bulk goods such as coal and nickel ore. Bobby explicitly listed the planning of freight railways as a key docking item for this meeting.

Docking and landing

Zhang Yongkang responded directly: China Railway Group is willing to rely on the successful implementation of the Jakarta Bandung high-speed railway, package and export technology, equipment, and management, closely connect with Indonesia's railway development plan, and deepen cooperation around key projects. Bobby also expressed his hope to use this meeting as an opportunity to strengthen communication, focus on areas such as rail transit, freight railways, and regional interconnectivity, and jointly promote high-quality development of Indonesia's transportation infrastructure.

In fact, high-level interaction has already paved the way. When Chen Wenjian, Chairman of China Railway Group, met with the Indonesian Minister of Transport in Beijing in November 2025, Bobby was on the accompanying list. At that time, the two sides had already exchanged views on freight railways, intercity railways, and the renovation of existing lines. Continuing the discussion at the branch level this time is equivalent to breaking down the overall consensus into executable sub project lists.keywords:Southeast Asia engineering information network

At the end of the meeting, Bobby put away his notebook and Zhang Yongkang escorted him to the elevator. The traffic on Chang'an Avenue outside the window keeps flowing, and the railway they just talked about will pass through tropical rainforests and volcanic areas, connecting the ports, mining areas, and cities of multiple islands in Indonesia into a new network. The Jakarta Bandung high-speed railway not only runs at a speed of 350 kilometers per hour, but also builds trust between Chinese infrastructure and Indonesian planning - the next segment of this network is being connected from this meeting.Editor/Yang Meiling