
Indonesian President Joko Widodo took a test ride Wednesday on Southeast Asia’s first high-speed railway, a key project under China’s Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.
The $7.3 billion rail project, funded largely by China, connects the capital, Jakarta, and Bandung, the heavily populated capital of West Java province. It is to begin commercial operations on Oct. 1 and will cut travel time between the two cities from the current three hours to about 40 minutes.