KCIC ensures high-speed railway project becoming an event for technology transfer
This article has been translated by PwC Indonesia as part of our Indonesia Infrastructure News Service. PwC Indonesia has not checked the accuracy of, and accepts no responsibility for the content.
Investor Daily - KCIC Pastikan Proyek KA Cepat Jadi Ajang Transfer Teknologi
19 October 2021
By: Thresa Sandra Desfika
Jakarta – PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC) ensures that the construction of Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway will become an event for knowledge and technology transfer among human resources in the domestic construction sector.
“Since the start of the construction, this high-speed railway project has brought over many new technology and methods in the construction sector. This will automatically provide experiences and lessons for future construction planning and implementation in Indonesia,” PT KCIC President Director, Dwiyana Slamet Riyadi, said in his official statement in Jakarta on Monday (18/10).
He explained that the technology and knowledge transfer from China to Indonesia through the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway project included the implementation of the cast in situ method for full-span girders.
According to Dwiyana, even though the cast in situ method is a method that has been previously implemented in Indonesia, but the cast in situ method for the full-span girders in this land infrastructure project will be implemented for the first time in Indonesia.
Dwiyana also ensured that the cast in situ method for the full-span girders spanning 32 metres was carried out with high quality standard that meets the conditions for high-speed railway structure design.
“Cast in situ is an on-site concreting method. The cast in situ method is frequently implemented in Indonesia, but usually it is not implemented all at once. For example, the concreting is usually conducted in stages or segment by segment [not all at once]. In this high-speed railway project, the concreting is implemented all at once for the 32-metre girders. So, this is what separates it from the existing cast in situ method,” he said.
In practice, Wijaya Karya (WIKA) as a local contractor in the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway consortium has developed the project using their experience from previous projects, and they also absorbed construction technologies and methods from Casting Yard #1 DK28 Sinohydro.
With experience and knowledge from the Chinese contractor, Wijaya Karya is carrying out the development using the cast in situ method to cast the concrete all at once. Wijaya is responsible to make 137 full-span box girders for Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway.
Besides that, according to him, knowledge transfer also occurred in the girder erection process in the casting yard where the precast box girders are made. Even though technology transfer does not occur directly, but, through local workforce involvement, innovative high-speed railway planning and construction can be learned.
“Innovative work method in the girder erection process of the high-speed railway project will be an example of how public infrastructure construction at busy areas can be carried out without hindering public activities around the area,” Dwiyana said.
Next, technology transfer also occurs in the construction of slab tracks, which are plates for the railway tracks that distribute weight from the top. The slab tracks used in this high-speed railway project are different from slab tracks used by other trains. In this project, the slab tracks do not need ballast stones along the railway tracks and require minimal maintenance.
Similar to the cast in situ method, the slab tracks are constructed by involving Indonesian human resources from WIKA who have received direction and training from human resources from China from PT Sinohydro. The slab track construction is fully conducted by human resources from WIKA, where the process is conducted at the Slab Track Prefabrication Workshop in Dawuan, Purwakarta. WIKA Beton will produce 13,315 slab track units in one year from the middle of 2021 to the middle 2022.
Dwiyana believes that technology and knowledge transfer during the construction of the high-speed railway can improve the capability and the experience of human resources in Indonesia in the construction sector. For the high-speed railway construction, WIKA is establishing a technology transfer team from Sinohydro, especially for tunnel and box girder construction, which will be directly involved in tunnel #1 and casting yard #1 construction.
SOPs and regulations
Regarding the tunnel construction, China Railway Group Limited (CREC) will create a guideline for the tunnel construction as part of the technology transfer to Indonesia. Simultaneously, regarding standard operational procedures (SOPs) and regulations regarding the high-speed railway, High-Speed Railway Contractor Consortium (HSRCC) and China Railway are finalising the documents that will be handed over to KCIC in October 2021.
He stated that 625 SOPs, regulations, and training materials would be handed over to be used as references to create SOPs, transportation minister regulations, as well as training materials for high-speed railway workforce.
“Workers from China are continuously sharing their experience and knowledge from this high-speed railway to various parties, such as professional associations and universities. Moreover, members of KAI, WIKA, and the Railway Directorate General also have opportunities to participate in field trainings at several high-speed railway project locations,” Dwiyana said.
Meanwhile, the loan from China through China Development Bank (CDB) for Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway is 58% disbursed, or US$2.699 billion. Moreover, the total loan from China Development Bank reaches US$4.553 billion.
“The total loan from China contributes to 75% of the funding for Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway,” PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC) Corporate Secretary, Mirza Soraya, said to Investor Daily recently.
Mirza explained that, for the current high-speed railway project, his company was currently focusing on completing tunnel construction (three out of ten tunnels penetrated), elevated tracks, and subgrade preparation.
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