Link To Article: https://english.news.cn/asiapacific/20231003/b2194d6cd23e4bbb8e9680c77e3af72d/c.html
Indonesia recently just opened their first high speed railway. The Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, opened HSR’s (High Speed Railway) operation at a recent ceremony. This ceremony was seen as a event for Indonesia’s modernization of transport. The crimson colored train touched down in the capital of West Java Province, marking their first successful launch. This train goes 350 km per hour which cuts the journey between Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, and another larger city, Bandung, from over 3 hours all the way down to 40 minutes. Widodo named the crimson train, “whoosh”, inspired by the train’s sound. The meaning of this name is to show how fast, efficient, and reliable it is to Indonesia. Before the introduction of this new railway, citizens relied on standard railways with only a limited portion of the railway network electrified. Because of this there was a need for a more efficient way to travel. This new railway network has given more job opportunities to locals in the Engineering field. The HSR train uses the most advanced autonomous control system which took China over 15 years to develop with independent property rights.
The HSR is a key addition to Indonesia for the government and for the people. This is a major addition which will help keep a large portion of the Indonesian population happy and content. This large portion of people’s morale will stay higher because it will have a positive impact on their lives in multiple ways. Firstly, it will make it more accessible to citizens all around the country bringing in extra revenue. Another benefit is that it will make it faster to travel across the country. This in turn will make lives of many easier and simpler. And lastly, the new HSR train will travel through China as well which will continue a positive relationship between the two countries. I think this will continue the growth of Asia because with the help of China, this was seen as a checkpoint for modernization in Indonesia. You will probably continue to see the help from China stretch out to more countries closer in need of certain problems, whether it is a small one or a big one.
Based off what we have learned in class, the opening of the HSR railway could be created by a political IGO. A IGO is a inter governmental organization made to focus on certain efforts. A political IGO is a inter governmental organization dedicated to global or regional coordination across countries similar to the European Union. A political IGO could have influenced the making of this railway because it adds easier reliable transportation travelling across multiple countries in Asia, but also increasing positive connections between those countries.