JAKARTA, Oct 1 — Indonesia is set to launch South-east Asia’s first high-speed railway tomorrow, a delayed multibillion-dollar project backed by China that will cut travel between capital Jakarta and another major city by hours.
President Joko Widodo has lauded the project for the fast ride it will provide between the two cities on Indonesia’s most populous island Java, and he will inaugurate it on Monday, according to local media reports, citing officials. The train can reach speeds up to 350 kilometres per hour and has cost a joint Chinese-Indonesian venture more than US$7 billion to build.
It was set to cost less than US$5 billion and be built by 2019 but delays due to construction issues and the Covid-19 pandemic saw costs spike.
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