Indonesian President Introduces Indonesia’s First High-speed Railway

The high-speed railway project estimated to have cost $7.3 billion will connect the cities of Jakarta and Bandung, which has historically been one of the world’s most congested travel corridors. The new rail line will travel with a maximum speed of 350 kilometres per hour and is expected to cut travel time between the cities from three hours to 30 minutes. Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo led the inauguration ceremony for the country’s first high-speed railway, a milestone for his office and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s signature foreign policy scheme. The trains had been modified for Indonesia’s tropical climate and equipped with a safety system to respond to earthquakes, floods, and other emergency conditions. The train has a length of 209 meters and can hold a capacity of 601 passengers. Trial rides have been underway since earlier in September and are expected to continue through October. Future plans include extending the high-speed railway to Surabaya in East Java.

Hainan Airlines Starts Flights From Shenzhen To Italy

Hainan Airlines has launched a new flight route connecting Shenzhen and Milan Malpensa Airport in Italy. The inaugural flight, operated by a Boeing 787, marks Hainan Airlines' third direct route to Italy and its seventh direct intercontinental route from Shenzhen. The route will run three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, catering to both tourism and business travel between China and Italy. Milan Malpensa Airport has been proactive in attracting Chinese airlines due to China's significance as a market, with 700,000 passengers traveling between Malpensa and China in 2019. Hainan Airlines has resumed and opened over 30 international and regional round-trip passenger routes from various Chinese cities, with more planned to meet market demand.

Flights Launched Between Ho Chi Minh And Perth

Non-stop flights between Ho Chi Minh and Perth are set to launch by the 2nd week of December later this year, with three scheduled flights per week. The debut of these flights means Vietnam Airlines will operate 23 round-trip flights per week between Vietnam and Australia, averaging three flights per day. Vietnam Air serves five non-stop routes to Australia, including Hanoi and Ho Chinh to Melbourne, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh to Sydney, and Ho Chi Minh to Perth. Perth being the capital and largest city in Western Australia, have 300,000 Vietnamese people living and working there and is the third largest market in Australia for Vietnam. Roger Cook, the Western Australia Premier notes the new direct flights opens an abundance of opportunities between the two countries and represents a whole new inbound visitor market for Western Australia’s industry, tourism and hospitality sectors supporting jobs and boosting the economy.

Marriott To Debut First Property In Papua New Guinea

Marriott International has entered into agreement with Steamships Trading Company to bring its first property in Papua New Guinea. The property located in downtown Port Moresby will feature one and two-bedroom apartments. Located within the mixed-used development of Harbourside South, Marriott Executive Apartments will feature a retail floor and three floors of A-grade commercial space. Further, plans are in place for a leisure floor that will house a lap pool, leisure pool, a fitness centre, three spa treatment rooms, and a recreational zone for children.

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