Indonesia reaffirms Jakarta-Surabaya high speed railway, wants to involve China

Workers stand beside an Electric Multiple Unit high-speed train for a rail link project part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, at Tegalluar train depot in Bandung, West Java province, Indonesia, on Oct 13. - Reuters

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network): The government is considering a plan to extend the ongoing Jakarta-Bandung high speed railway megaproject to Surabaya, East Java, despite facing multiple delays on the existing development, in a bid to make the project more economically viable.

Currently, the Jakarta-Bandung high speed railway project runs through military-run airport Halim Perdanakusuma, Karawang, Padalarang before ending in Tegalluar -- roughly 19km to Bandung, West Java. Extending the project to the far east of Java will connect Yogyakarta and Surakarta, Central Java, as well, before stopping in Surabaya.