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 neighbours.
Widodo inaugurated the first phase of 16 kilometre subway line running south from Jakarta's downtown on Sunday, while also presiding over a groundbreaking ceremony for an 8km line heading northward that is planned to be completed by 2024.
The $US2.6 billion ($A3.7 billion) project is funded through a loan from the Japan International Co-operation Agency.
Congestion has relentlessly worsened in the past decade as car ownership rose, squeezing more and more vehicles onto Jakarta's unchanging road network.
Australian Associated Press
