The country’s ambitious railway projects involving Japan and China in a separate network are seeing light at the end of the tunnel despite a mounting array of challenges and lingering concerns of delays.

For the Japan-linked project, the revitalization of a 700-kilometer railway linking Jakarta and the country’s second-biggest city, Surabaya, in East Java is slated to start in January next year as the Transportation Ministry has selected the type of works and the train system.

Transportation Minister Budi Karya said on Friday that he had opted to revitalize existing tracks rather than lay down new track to allow an upgrade of the system to a semi high-speed railway, which would cut travel between Jakarta and Surabaya by half of the usual 12-hour journey.

“I have opted to use the existing tracks,” Budi said. “In January [next year] we can start the work.”

The revitalization will include the closure of an estimated 1,000 railway crossings along the railway track between the two cities to help prevent the train from slowing down.

Budi also said the government would select diesel-powered trains running at a maximum 160km per hour for their lower costs.

With the specifications, Budi estimated the project to cost less than Rp 80 trillion (US$6 billion), with details of the financing scheme from Japan’s loans to be further explored. Officials have estimated the cost to be even lower at around Rp 40 trillion.

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