Indonesia launched Southeast Asia’s first high-speed railway on Monday, a delayed, multibillion-dollar project backed by China that President Joko Widodo hailed as “a symbol of our modernisation”.
With a top speed of 350 kilometres (220 miles) per hour, the bullet train “Whoosh” can get between the capital Jakarta and Bandung in 45 minutes.
The 140 km journey would previously have taken about three hours by train.
“The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train marks our efficient, friendly, and integrated mass transportation system,” Widodo said during a ceremony at the capital’s central station.
“It is a symbol of our modernisation in the public transport, seamlessly connecting with other modes of transportation.”
Widodo said the 600-capacity train was the first high-speed rail transportation in Southeast Asia.
It is part of Beijing’s Belt and Road initiative — a decade-old programme of China-backed infrastructure projects.
The president said the name was actually an acronym, standing for a tagline of “Waktu Hemat, Operasi Optimal, Sistem Handal” — which in Bahasa Indonesia means “Saving time, optimal operation, reliable system”.
It was built by PT KCIC, which is made up of four Indonesian state companies and Beijing’s China Railway International Co.
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