<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">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".</span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">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.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The 140 km journey would previously have taken about three hours by train.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"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.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"It is a symbol of our modernisation in the public transport, seamlessly connecting with other modes of transportation."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Widodo said the 600-capacity train was the first high-speed rail transportation in Southeast Asia.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It is part of Beijing's Belt and Road initiative -- a decade-old programme of China-backed infrastructure projects.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">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".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It was built by PT KCIC, which is made up of four Indonesian state companies and Beijing's China Railway International Co.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The project was initially set to cost less than $5 billion and be completed by 2019.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">However, delays caused by construction challenges and the Covid-19 pandemic led to a surge in costs.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In preparation for its opening, officials have conducted public trials for the new high-speed route.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Last week, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi confirmed that the government would extend the high-speed train route from Bandung to the country's second-biggest city Surabaya.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Last month, Chinese Premier Li Qiang joined Senior Minister Luhut Pandjaitan on a ride aboard the train during his Jakarta visit for summits with Southeast Asian leaders.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Pandjaitan told reporters on Thursday that Widodo plans to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping in the future to ride the train, but did not give more specifics. AFP</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>