Indonesia's President Joko Widodo has opened a long-awaited subway in the country's capital aimed at staving off crippling traffic gridlock with comfortable transport facilities.
Jakarta's first subway is the latest of many infrastructure improvements nationwide that it is hoped will help the giant but laggard nation catch up with its neighbors.
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Indonesia's President Joko Widodo has opened a long-awaited subway in the country's capital aimed at staving off crippling traffic gridlock with comfortable transport facilities.
The $2.6 billion project is funded through a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, second left, have a selfie taken by Indonesian actor Reza Rahadian, left, as they ride on a Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit train during the inauguration ceremony of the subway line in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, March 24, 2019. The 16-kilometer (10-mile) line system running south from Jakarta's downtown is the first phase of a development that if fully realized will plant a cross-shaped network of stations on the teeming city of 30 million people. (AP PhotoDita Alangkara, Pool)
Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, center, inspects a model of Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit network during the inauguration ceremony of the subway line in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, March 24, 2019. The 16-kilometer (10-mile) line system running south from Jakarta's downtown is the first phase of a development that if fully realized will plant a cross-shaped network of stations on the teeming city of 30 million people. (Mast IrhamPool Photo via AP)
Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, center right, walks with Finance Minister Sri Mulyani, third left, and Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, left, in a Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit tunnel during the inauguration ceremony of the subway line in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, March 24, 2019. The 16-kilometer (10-mile) line system running south from Jakarta's downtown is the first phase of a development that if fully realized will plant a cross-shaped network of stations on the teeming city of 30 million people. (AP PhotoDita Alangkara, Pool)
Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, front left, walks through the turnstiles at a Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit station during the inauguration ceremony of the subway line in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, March 24, 2019. The 16-kilometer (10-mile) line system running south from Jakarta's downtown is the first phase of a development that if fully realized will plant a cross-shaped network of stations on the teeming city of 30 million people. (AP PhotoDita Alangkara)
Widodo inaugurated the first phase of 16-kilometer (10-mile) subway line running south from Jakarta's downtown on Sunday, while also presiding over a groundbreaking ceremony for an 8-kilometer (5-mile) line heading northward that is planned to be completed by 2024.
Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, right, shakes hands with Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan with the background of a Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit train during the inauguration ceremony of the subway line system in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, March 24, 2019. The 16-kilometer (10-mile) system running south from Jakarta's downtown is the first phase of a development that if fully realized will plant a cross-shaped network of stations on the teeming city of 30 million people. (AP PhotoDita Alangkara, Pool)
The $2.6 billion project is funded through a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Congestion has relentlessly worsened in the past decade as car ownership rose, squeezing more and more vehicles onto Jakarta's unchanging road network.
Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, right, stands on a stage with Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan with the background of a Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit train during the inauguration ceremony of the subway line system in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, March 24, 2019. The 16-kilometer (10-mile) system running south from Jakarta's downtown is the first phase of a development that if fully realized will plant a cross-shaped network of stations on the teeming city of 30 million people. (AP PhotoDita Alangkara, Pool)
Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, second left, have a selfie taken by Indonesian actor Reza Rahadian, left, as they ride on a Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit train during the inauguration ceremony of the subway line in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, March 24, 2019. The 16-kilometer (10-mile) line system running south from Jakarta's downtown is the first phase of a development that if fully realized will plant a cross-shaped network of stations on the teeming city of 30 million people. (AP PhotoDita Alangkara, Pool)
Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, center, inspects a model of Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit network during the inauguration ceremony of the subway line in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, March 24, 2019. The 16-kilometer (10-mile) line system running south from Jakarta's downtown is the first phase of a development that if fully realized will plant a cross-shaped network of stations on the teeming city of 30 million people. (Mast IrhamPool Photo via AP)
Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, center right, walks with Finance Minister Sri Mulyani, third left, and Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, left, in a Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit tunnel during the inauguration ceremony of the subway line in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, March 24, 2019. The 16-kilometer (10-mile) line system running south from Jakarta's downtown is the first phase of a development that if fully realized will plant a cross-shaped network of stations on the teeming city of 30 million people. (AP PhotoDita Alangkara, Pool)
Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, front left, walks through the turnstiles at a Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit station during the inauguration ceremony of the subway line in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, March 24, 2019. The 16-kilometer (10-mile) line system running south from Jakarta's downtown is the first phase of a development that if fully realized will plant a cross-shaped network of stations on the teeming city of 30 million people. (AP PhotoDita Alangkara)