Will deadly Indonesia train crash put brakes on its high-speed rail ambitions?

Analysts split over extending Whoosh or focusing on conventional railway network

- Arlina Arshad Indonesia Bureau Chief

Months before a commuter train carriage was crushed in Bekasi, outside Jakarta, Indonesian ministers were speaking of the next leap forward: extending the China-backed high-speed rail line Whoosh, which now runs from Jakarta to Bandung, farther to Surabaya.

The proposed route would slice across Java, cutting one of Indonesia’s longest overland journeys from up to 10 hours to around three hours.

Then came one of the country’s deadliest rail disasters, which killed 16 people and injured dozens.

On the night of April 27, a commuter train stopping at East Bekasi station in West Java was struck from behind by a long-distance Argo Bromo passenger train, a conventional express service headed towards Surabaya in East Java.

The collision did not happen on Whoosh but on the conventional rail network, which still carries millions of commuters and long-distance passengers each day across Jakarta and its surrounding satellite cities, known by the acronym Jabodetabek, as well as the island of Java.

The incident has reignited debate over whether Indonesia should prioritise ambitious high-speed rail projects, improve the network most people use, or spend more on transport beyond Java.

Whoosh, launched in late 2023, was Indonesia's flagship rail project under former president Joko Widodo and part of China’s signature Belt and Road Initiative.

But for most Indonesians, daily travel still depends on the conventional commuter and intercity rail network. Before sunrise, millions of workers and students crowd platforms bound for Jakarta. By evening, the same stations fill again with home-bound passengers.

The Bekasi collision has renewed scrutiny of that system’s weak points, including incomplete automatic train protection systems, safeguards for critical signals, and driver adherence to signalling rules and fatigue management.