DistantNews
Support us
🇮🇩 Indonesia /Energy & Infrastructure

Whoosh debt to be repaid at about Rp1 trillion a year over up to 80 years

From Tempo · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Indonesia restructured the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail debt over up to 80 years, with annual repayments of about Rp1 trillion, Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said.
  • The Finance Ministry plans to take over debt management from state asset agency Danantara on Sept. 15, 2026, and is considering one special mission vehicle to handle it.
  • Purbaya said the government plans to extend the Whoosh line beyond Bandung to East Java and has discussed the idea with Chinese officials.

Indonesia plans to repay the debt from its Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail project, known as Whoosh, at roughly Rp1 trillion a year over a period that could stretch to 80 years. Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa described the annual burden as manageable for the government.

“The total debt is large, but it has been restructured over 80 years, with repayments of around Rp1 trillion or slightly less each year,” Purbaya said at a media briefing in Jakarta. He added that some years would require higher payments and others lower ones.

The total debt is large, but it has been restructured over 80 years, with repayments of around Rp1 trillion or slightly less each year.

· Purbaya Yudhi SadewaThe finance minister described the restructured repayment schedule for the Whoosh rail debt.

The government intends to transfer responsibility for the debt from Danantara, Indonesia’s state asset management agency, to the Finance Ministry on Sept. 15, 2026. The ministry is considering Indonesia Investment Authority and state-owned infrastructure financier PT Sarana Multi Infrastruktur for the role of a special mission vehicle, or SMV.

Purbaya said the government could appoint only one entity because the annual repayment burden was considered manageable. “I’m only looking at what the annual burden will be. If it is only this much, it should be enough to be handled by one SMV under the Finance Ministry,” he said.

I’m only looking at what the annual burden will be. If it is only this much, it should be enough to be handled by one SMV under the Finance Ministry.

· Purbaya Yudhi SadewaHe explained why the government may appoint one special mission vehicle to manage the debt.

He previously estimated that involving a Finance Ministry entity could generate up to Rp800 billion in annual returns. He said one SMV or public service agency could potentially produce Rp3 trillion to Rp4 trillion in annual profits.

Purbaya also said he plans to extend the high-speed rail network beyond its current Jakarta-Bandung route to East Java once the government assumes responsibility for the debt. He said he had discussed the proposal with China’s finance minister and other officials involved in the project, who appeared interested. Whoosh is Indonesia’s first high-speed rail line.

We will extend it to East Java. It will belong to the government, with the SMV owning the high-speed train.

· Purbaya Yudhi SadewaPurbaya outlined the government’s plan to expand the Whoosh network.
About this summary

Originally published by Tempo in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog