Indonesia launches first high-speed train in Southeast Asia

On Monday, Indonesia launched the first high-speed train in Southeast Asia, a project supported by China with a cost in the billions of dollars, which President Joko Widodo described as a symbol of the country's "modernization." 

The "Whoosh" train, with a maximum speed of 350 kilometers per hour, can connect the capital Jakarta to the city of Bandung, which is 140 kilometers away, in just 45 minutes instead of the three hours it takes for regular train trips. 

During the inauguration ceremony at the main station in the capital, Widodo said, "The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train... is a symbol of modernizing public transportation and seamlessly connecting it with other modes of transport." 

Widodo pointed out that the train's name is an abbreviation in the Indonesian language that means "time-saving, optimal operation, and reliability." It was built in collaboration between four Indonesian companies and the Chinese railway company. 

The project is part of the Chinese investment initiative known as the "Belt and Road." 

The project was initially supposed to cost no more than five billion dollars and be completed by 2019. However, delays due to infrastructure challenges and the COVID-19 pandemic made its cost higher. 

Indonesia conducted a series of tests on the train before its official launch, and Chinese Premier Li Qiang participated in one of them last month on the sidelines of a summit for Southeast Asian leaders. 

AFP