ASIA: Indonesia’s first high-speed railway, constructed with the aid of Chinese technology, is set to commence operations in August, according to a statement by the country’s Investment Minister on Monday.

Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, the Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs, stated during a press conference that the 140-kilometre Jakarta-Bandung service would commence operations on August 18, coinciding with Indonesia’s Independence Day, following a test run in May.

The new train will reduce travel time between the two cities from three hours to approximately 40 minutes. The Indonesian-Chinese consortium PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China executed the project, which was initially slated for completion in 2019 but faced numerous delays and cost overruns.

The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train service, which is the flagship project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Indonesia, is now expected to cost $7.2 billion, up from an original estimate of $6 billion (89.6 trillion rupiahs).

“We anticipate commencing operations on August 18, 2023, as a tribute to Indonesia’s 78th Independence Day,” Luhut stated at the press conference, referring to the line that was previously scheduled to be completed in 2019.