Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway marks 6-month operation with 2.56 mln passengers

The Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway marked its six months of operation on Wednesday with a total of 2.56 million passengers transported, said PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China (KCIC), a joint venture consortium between Indonesian and Chinese state-owned firms that constructs and runs the line.

With a design speed of 350 km per hour, the 142.3-km high-speed railway cut the journey between Indonesia's capital Jakarta to Bandung in West Java province from over three hours to around 40 minutes.

Since its official commercial operation around mid-October last year, the railway has operated a total of 7,050 train trips with a mileage of over 1.26 million kilometers, According to the KCIC.

At present, the railway's daily train trips have increased from 14 to 52. The highest number of passengers sent in a single day stood at 21,537, while the highest daily seat occupancy rate was recorded at 99.6 percent.

The KCIC said that it fully drew on China's rich expertise in high-speed trains to effectively manage the operation and maintenance of the railway and properly respond to extreme weather conditions such as heavy rains and typhoons. And the railway has successfully maintained smooth operation over a distance exceeding 1.26 million kilometers.

In addition, to better meet the needs of passengers, a dynamic fare policy has been introduced, such as supporting various payment methods and promoting online ticketing, refund and change services, raising the online ticket purchase rate to 86 percent, the KCIC said.

Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway marks 6-month operation with 2.56 mln passengers

The death toll has risen to 24 after part of an expressway collapsed in south China's Guangdong Province, causing 20 vehicles to plunge, on early Wednesday morning, local authorities said.

Another 30 people are receiving hospital treatment, with none in life-threatening condition, according to the government of the province's Meizhou city.

The incident happened around 02:10 on the Meizhou-Dabu Expressway in Meizhou. The collapsed section is 17.9 meters long and covers an area of 184.3 square meters, officials said.

Aerial photos show one side of the expressway caved in, causing vehicles to roll down a slope.

The accident did not involve any large vehicles or vehicles transporting hazardous chemicals, according to officials.

24 dead after road collapse in south China's Guangdong