During this year’s summer break, the Faculty of Mechanical of Aerospace Engineering (FMAE) of ITB are holding International Virtual Courses (IVC) with several topics related to state-of-the-art technology. These IVCs are jointly organized by ITB and other abroad universities and industry professionals.

One of the IVC series organized by FMAE ITB discusses the advancement in high-speed train technology (HSTT). This topic includes the technological development of high-speed trains, their implementation in some countries, and the early adoption of such technology in Indonesia. Such a topic is particularly relevant for Indonesia, which is currently developing the capacity in high-speed train technology. Some topics discussed in this course include aerodynamic design aspects, structural designs, the strength of materials, noise mitigation, and the economical and societal aspects of high-speed trains. The participants of this course are quite diverse; in fact, ITB students, students from other universities, professionals from Indonesia’s train industry, and students from overseas are now participating in this course. At the end of the course, the participants are going to have a project group discussion, in which they are going to perform a preliminary design of high-speed. It is planned to be finished within one month (5 weeks) on July 14, 2021.

(Lectures by Prof. Mats Berg from KTH about Suspensions on High-speed Train)

The lectures in this course are presented by professors from FMAE and the collaborating universities, namely, KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden) and Chiba University (Japan). Besides speakers from academia, representatives from PT Industri Kereta Api (INKA) and PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC) are also sharing their knowledge and experience in this course. The composition of the lecturers who come from academia and industrial background will surely give knowledge and important insight about high-speed train design from multiple perspectives to the participants.

The HSTT IVC began on June 14, 2021, and it marked the beginning of the IVC series organized by FMAE. Other IVCs that will be held by FMAE ITB this year will also invite speakers from other overseas universities, in accordance with the spirit of international collaboration which drives the creation of IVCs.