WALINI, Indonesia – Indonesia broke ground on a high-speed rail line between the capital Jakarta and Bandung, officially marking the start of the three-year construction project.
The 142.3 kilometer (88.4 mile) railway worth $5.5 billion is being constructed by PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China, a joint venture between an Indonesian consortium of and China Railway International Co. Ltd.
The groundbreaking ceremony Thursday was presided over by Indonesia's President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.
The construction kicked off in Walini, a West Java town and location of one of the railway's eight stations.
The rail deal was signed in October after Indonesia selected China over Japan for the project.
The trains are expected start operating in early 2019 with speeds of 250 kilometers (155 miles) an hour.
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