Indonesia on Monday launched Southeast Asia's first high-speed railway network, built with Chinese technology as part of China's Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.
The bullet train service named "Whoosh," inaugurated after several delays and a cost overrun, will link Jakarta and the West Java provincial capital of Bandung, the country's fourth-most populous city.
The train can run on the 142-kilometer line at a maximum speed of 350 km per hour, cutting travel time from approximately three hours to about 40 minutes.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo attended the launch ceremony and rode on the first train departing Halim station in East Jakarta, getting off at Padalarang Station in West Java, one station before Tegalluar Station in Bandung.
Indonesian-Chinese consortium PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China, which funded and built the project, had been offering the public a two-week free trial run before the launch.
Construction began in 2016 and was initially expected to be completed in 2019. But the project was delayed several times due to problems such as difficulties acquiring land, dealing with environmental issues, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
China won the bidding over Japan for the project in 2015. While Japan insisted on a government guarantee for the project, Chia agreed with Indonesia on a business-to-business contract without a government guarantee or financing from the state.
The construction cost was originally expected to total around $6 billion, but it ballooned to some $7.3 billion after the delays.
The name "Whoosh" is an abbreviation for "time-saving, optimal operation, reliable system" in Indonesian.
