President Prabowo Subianto has assured the public that the government will resolve the financial difficulties plaguing the Whoosh Jakarta\u2013Bandung high-speed train project.<\/p>\n
Addressing at the inauguration of the newly renovated Tanah Abang Railway Station in Central Jakarta, on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, Prabowo said there was \u201cnothing to worry about\u201d regarding the project\u2019s financial condition.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t worry about the noise surrounding Whoosh. I have studied the problem there is no issue. I take full responsibility. Indonesia is not a trivial country. Everything has been calculated,\u201d Prabowo told the attending officials and guests. <\/p>\n
The president added that the high-speed train, a joint project between Indonesia and China, remains a symbol of national progress and technological advancement.<\/p>\n
\u201c(State railway operator) PT KAI should not worry. We serve the people. All technology, all facilities \u2026 that\u2019s our collective responsibility. Ultimately, it\u2019s the president\u2019s responsibility. So now, I\u2019m responsible for Whoosh,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Former KAI president\u2019s palace appearance<\/p>\n
President Prabowo Subianto has assured the public that the government will resolve the financial difficulties plaguing the Whoosh Jakarta\u2013Bandung high-speed train project.<\/p>\n
Addressing at the inauguration of the newly renovated Tanah Abang Railway Station in Central Jakarta, on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, Prabowo said there was \u201cnothing to worry about\u201d regarding the project\u2019s financial condition.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t worry about the noise surrounding Whoosh. I have studied the problem there is no issue. I take full responsibility. Indonesia is not a trivial country. Everything has been calculated,\u201d Prabowo told the attending officials and guests. <\/p>\n
The president added that the high-speed train, a joint project between Indonesia and China, remains a symbol of national progress and technological advancement.<\/p>\n
\u201c(State railway operator) PT KAI should not worry. We serve the people. All technology, all facilities \u2026 that\u2019s our collective responsibility. Ultimately, it\u2019s the president\u2019s responsibility. So now, I\u2019m responsible for Whoosh,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Former KAI president\u2019s palace appearance<\/p>\n
The president\u2019s statement came a day after Ignasius Jonan, the former president director of PT KAI who oversaw the company\u2019s major reforms in the early 2010s, made a surprise appearance at the Presidential Palace on Monday, November 3, 2025.<\/p>\n
Jonan\u2019s visit drew public attention as it coincided with mounting debate over the ballooning debt of the Whoosh project and the government\u2019s plan to restructure its financing.<\/p>\n
When asked by reporters, Jonan declined to confirm whether his visit was linked to discussions on the high-speed train.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to comment on that. Maybe it was about the train, maybe not. I\u2019m already retired, so I don\u2019t follow the issue closely,\u201d Jonan said briefly before entering the palace complex.<\/p>\n
Jonan said he had been invited by Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya and was merely fulfilling the invitation. He brought no documents or materials related to the project.<\/p>\n
Jonan\u2019s meeting with President Prabowo reportedly lasted for nearly two hours, from 3:34 p.m. to 6:20 p.m. However, he insisted that the discussion did not touch on the high-speed train\u2019s finances.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, we didn\u2019t discuss the train. I wasn\u2019t asked to give input on that,\u201d he told reporters afterward.<\/p>\n
Instead, Jonan described the encounter as an informal conversation about Prabowo\u2019s broader policy agenda, including foreign diplomacy, state-owned enterprise (SOE) development, and the role of SOEs in national progress.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was simply a discussion as a citizen, about government programs and how the president is developing the country,\u201d Jonan said.<\/p>\n
AHY also summoned<\/p>\n
Earlier on Monday, Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) also met with Prabowo at the Palace. AHY confirmed that the Whoosh issue was among several topics discussed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe reported to the president and sought his guidance on a number of matters, including the high-speed train,\u201d AHY said.<\/p>\n
\u201cUse of State budget (APBN) will be part of the scheme to resolve Whoosh debt, but we\u2019ll inform its details later,\u201d he cited. <\/p>\n
Sources familiar with the matter said the government is preparing a debt restructuring plan for the project amid rising concerns over repayment obligations.<\/p>\n
Background<\/p>\n
The Jakarta\u2013Bandung High-Speed Rail, branded Whoosh, has faced persistent challenges since its launch, including cost overruns, schedule delays, and ballooning debt linked to construction and interest expenses. The project, jointly financed by Indonesia\u2019s PT KAI and a consortium of Chinese firms, has become a test of Prabowo\u2019s economic management in his first year in office.<\/p>\n
While critics warn of fiscal risks, Prabowo\u2019s latest statement signals his intention to stabilize confidence, both within the government and among investors as Indonesia seeks to expand its transport infrastructure without jeopardizing its financial discipline.<\/p>\n
The president\u2019s statement came a day after Ignasius Jonan, the former president director of PT KAI who oversaw the company\u2019s major reforms in the early 2010s, made a surprise appearance at the Presidential Palace on Monday, November 3, 2025.<\/p>\n
Jonan\u2019s visit drew public attention as it coincided with mounting debate over the ballooning debt of the Whoosh project and the government\u2019s plan to restructure its financing.<\/p>\n
When asked by reporters, Jonan declined to confirm whether his visit was linked to discussions on the high-speed train.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to comment on that. Maybe it was about the train, maybe not. I\u2019m already retired, so I don\u2019t follow the issue closely,\u201d Jonan said briefly before entering the palace complex.<\/p>\n
Jonan said he had been invited by Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya and was merely fulfilling the invitation. He brought no documents or materials related to the project.<\/p>\n
Jonan\u2019s meeting with President Prabowo reportedly lasted for nearly two hours, from 3:34 p.m. to 6:20 p.m. However, he insisted that the discussion did not touch on the high-speed train\u2019s finances.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, we didn\u2019t discuss the train. I wasn\u2019t asked to give input on that,\u201d he told reporters afterward.<\/p>\n
Instead, Jonan described the encounter as an informal conversation about Prabowo\u2019s broader policy agenda, including foreign diplomacy, state-owned enterprise (SOE) development, and the role of SOEs in national progress.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was simply a discussion as a citizen, about government programs and how the president is developing the country,\u201d Jonan said.<\/p>\n
AHY also summoned<\/p>\n
Earlier on Monday, Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) also met with Prabowo at the Palace. AHY confirmed that the Whoosh issue was among several topics discussed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe reported to the president and sought his guidance on a number of matters, including the high-speed train,\u201d AHY said.<\/p>\n
\u201cUse of State budget (APBN) will be part of the scheme to resolve Whoosh debt, but we\u2019ll inform its details later,\u201d he cited. <\/p>\n
Sources familiar with the matter said the government is preparing a debt restructuring plan for the project amid rising concerns over repayment obligations.<\/p>\n
Background<\/p>\n
The Jakarta\u2013Bandung High-Speed Rail, branded Whoosh, has faced persistent challenges since its launch, including cost overruns, schedule delays, and ballooning debt linked to construction and interest expenses. The project, jointly financed by Indonesia\u2019s PT KAI and a consortium of Chinese firms, has become a test of Prabowo\u2019s economic management in his first year in office.<\/p>\n
While critics warn of fiscal risks, Prabowo\u2019s latest statement signals his intention to stabilize confidence, both within the government and among investors as Indonesia seeks to expand its transport infrastructure without jeopardizing its financial discipline.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"President Prabowo Subianto has assured the public that the government will resolve the financial difficulties plaguing the Whoosh…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":122340,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[72,113,61,41165,60],"class_list":["post-122339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy","tag-business","tag-economy","tag-ie","tag-indonesia-business-post","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122339","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122339"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122339\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/122340"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}