The first service of this type in Indonesia, the WHOOSH, entered commercial service in October 2023, connecting Jakarta and Bandung. For 10 points each:
[10m] Name this service provided by the Shinkansen network in Japan. The Acela is the only line to offer this service in the United States.
ANSWER: high-speed passenger rail [accept bullet trains or Maglev; prompt on commuter rail or commuter train or HSR; reject “metro” or “subway”]
[10e] Rather than adapting the Shinkansen technology, Indonesia’s high-speed rail uses infrastructure developed by this other East Asian country. The Shanghai Maglev in this country is the world’s fastest high-speed rail.
ANSWER: China [or People’s Republic of China; or the PRC; or Zhōngguó; reject “Republic of China”]
[10h] Construction of the WHOOSH has been funded and primarily completed by China as part of this cross-border program. The United States has criticized this program as “debt-trap diplomacy.”
ANSWER: Belt and Road Initiative [or One Belt One Road; accept Yīdài Yīlù]
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