JAKARTA: Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Monday inaugurated Southeast Asia's first high-speed railway as it was set to begin commercial operations, a key project under China's Belt and Road infrastructure initiative that will drastically reduce the travel time between two key cities.

The project has been beset with delays and increasing costs, and some observers doubt its commercial benefits. But Widodo has championed the 142-kilometer (88-mile) railway, which was issued its official operating license from the Transportation Ministry on Sunday.