OREANDA-NEWS. October 11, 2012. Sumitomo Corporation (Head Office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Kuniharu Nakamura) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Hideaki Omiya) have jointly won a bid worth approximately 21 billion yen for the electrification and double-double tracking project (B-1 Package) of a main railway line in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. The two companies entered into a contract with the Directorate General of Railways, Ministry of Transportation, Government of Republic of Indonesia on October 10.

Financed by the special yen loan granted by the Japanese government to the Indonesian government, the electrification and double-double tracking project will be implemented on the Bekasi Line running through areas in and around Jakarta (Manggarai-Bekasi-Cikarang).

This project, one of the most important for Indonesia's railway sector, aims to enhance transportation efficiency by separating the Jabotabek Railway Line (a commuter line) from the Java Main Line (a long-distance line) along the 15-kilometer section between Manggarai and Bekasi, where the two lines presently share the same tracks. The scope of the project also includes electrification and extension of a commuter line from Bekasi to Cikarang (a 17-kilometer line), for which transportation demand is rapidly increasing due to the development of residential areas and industrial parks for Japanese companies and others.

The B-1 Package described under the just-concluded contract includes overhead contact system  improvement of Manggarai Station, electrification of the 17-kilometer section between Bekasi and Cikarang, replacement of existing signalling system located right along the Bekasi Line, and construction of substations, among others. The project is expected to reach completion at the end of 2016. This is a highly technical project, as the work to enhance transportation capacity must be conducted without interruption to ordinary railway operations. The work will be carried out in limited stretches at night, utilizing Japan's advanced railway technologies.

Before winning this contract, Sumitomo Corporation and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries completed the Depok depot construction project, also financed by a yen loan, in the Jakarta area in 2007.

Currently, Indonesia's economy is growing at a remarkable speed, and scores of urban railway projects are in the pipeline, mainly for the areas in and around the capital city of Jakarta. In partnership with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Sumitomo Corporation will continue to pursue opportunities in Indonesia's railway business, thereby contributing to the construction of the country's railway infrastructure.