The Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway. [Photo/Guanhai News]

CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co, a subsidiary of China's rail giant China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation, signed a contract with an Indonesian commuter train company, marking another breakthrough for the company in the Indonesian market following the completion of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway project.

The signing of the new contract also represents the first time that China has exported commuter electric multiple units to Indonesia.

The Indonesian commuter train company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Indonesian National Railway Company, operating local commuter railways in areas such as Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi, and serving millions of Indonesian passengers daily.

According to the contract, CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co will provide three new sets of electric multiple units for the commuter lines of the Indonesian commuter train company. The new trains will be built using advanced technology, with a maximum operating speed of 120 kilometers per hour, consisting of 12 carriages per train set, and accommodating up to 3,396 passengers. The carriages will include additional services such as LED dynamic electronic maps, passenger information display screens, and a simplified operation control panel in the middle of the train to facilitate maintenance and repair. The new trains are expected to be delivered in 2025 and provide Indonesian passengers with a higher-quality commuting experience.

China's CRRC has enjoyed a strong cooperative relationship with Indonesia. Previously, CRRC Sifang Co designed and manufactured high-speed railway with a speed of 350 km per hour for the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway in Indonesia.

Since the opening of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway in October 2023, the high-speed trains have continued to operate safely and reliably, bringing the country into a new era of high-speed rail. The railway has been well-received by the Indonesian people and hailed as a great success for the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) between China and Indonesia.

The signing of the new contract represents a further deepening of cooperation between China and Indonesia and will contribute to the upgrading of urban rail transit development in Indonesia, further promoting practical cooperation and the high-quality development of the BRI between the two countries.

Sun Yongcai, chairman of CRRC, expressed the company's willingness to provide more support and services in Indonesia's rail transit construction and energy transformation, contributing to Indonesia's economic and social development.