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For Topik Hidayat, childhood meant working odd jobs by age nine to help feed his family. Years later, as a part-time truck driver, his income remained as unpredictable as Jakarta’s traffic. But everything changed when he joined KCIC, the consortium behind Southeast Asia’s first high-speed railway linking Jakarta and Bandung.
A New Beginning: As a construction worker on the 350 km/h rail project, Topik gained stable income for the first time. His wife launched a small grocery business – a dream she’d postponed for years. Their daughter now attends a relocated primary school with upgraded facilities including a proper soccer field and library.
Ripple Effects: “This project gave us security,” Topik says. Over 30,000 local jobs were created during construction, with workers like him gaining technical skills. Schools and communities near the route have seen infrastructure upgrades, creating lasting impacts beyond faster travel times.
The railway isn’t just connecting cities – it’s powering personal journeys of growth across Indonesia.
NewspaperAmigo – Your Global News Buddy 
A New Beginning: As a construction worker on the 350 km/h rail project, Topik gained stable income for the first time. His wife launched a small grocery business – a dream she’d postponed for years. Their daughter now attends a relocated primary school with upgraded facilities including a proper soccer field and library. 
Ripple Effects: “This project gave us security,” Topik says. Over 30,000 local jobs were created during construction, with workers like him gaining technical skills. Schools and communities near the route have seen infrastructure upgrades, creating lasting impacts beyond faster travel times.
The railway isn’t just connecting cities – it’s powering personal journeys of growth across Indonesia.
Whoosh! Indonesia’s High-Speed Rail Revolution…
