Karawang Station opens on Indonesia's Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway

China

Karawang Station opens on Indonesia's Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway

2024-12-25 02:19 Last Updated At：18:17

Karawang Station, a key stop on Indonesia's landmark Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway (HSR), was officially inaugurated on Tuesday.

At the inauguration ceremony, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, described Karawang region as a leading rice production hub and a major center for industrial parks, highlighting the station's role in reducing travel times and boosting economic opportunities.

The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway, affectionately called "Whoosh" for its remarkable speed, was put into official commercial operation in mid-October last year.

Built in cooperation with China under the Belt and Road Initiative, the 142.3 km high-speed rail has a designed speed of 350 km per hour. It cuts travel time between the country's largest city of Jakarta and Bandung in West Java province from over three hours to just 40 minutes.

As Southeast Asia's first high-speed rail, it represents a transformative leap in Indonesia's transportation infrastructure, inspiring profound changes in the towns and cities along the line.

"Ice flowers" bloom on northwest China’s Bosten Lake

2024-12-25 17:28 Last Updated At：17:37

In recent days, plummeting temperatures have given rise to intricate patterns of frost resembling beautiful flowers on the frozen expanse of the Bosten Lake in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

These unique "ice flowers" exhibit a range of shapes, from fluffy tufts akin to cotton to ethereal forms reminiscent of butterfly wings, delicately adorning the icy landscape.

This phenomenon has become a picturesque winter attraction in the region, drawing wide attention to its rare beauty.

Experts attribute the formation of these captivating "ice flowers" on the Bosten Lake to the rapid temperature drop. The overcooled saturated water vapor meeting the pristine smooth ice surface has led to the gradual growth of these exquisite frost formations, creating a magical winter scene that captivates both locals and visitors alike.