Indonesia preps US$40bil to extend metro network

More MRT lines: A file picture showing an MRT train arriving at a station during a full trial run in Jakarta. PT MRT Jakarta is seeking to add an additional six lines to the one that partially opened earlier this year. — Reuters

JAKARTA: Indonesia is preparing to spend about US$40bil to extend Jakarta’s metro network, a bigger-than-expected outlay that’s poised to boost the country’s construction companies and reignite a rivalry between China and Japan over building the project.

The spending plan, detailed in an interview with the head of the operator of the capital’s subway, is part of President Joko Widodo’s ambitious roadmap to create a US$7 trillion economy by 2045. While his administration has outlined a requirement to spend about US$455bil on infrastructure over the next five years, policy makers have until now revealed few specifics.