The first batch of Chinese-made railcars for Indonesia's first high-speed railway arrived at the port of Jakarta on Friday, AP reported.

The $5.5 billion 142.3-kilometer railway is being built by PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China, a joint venture between an Indonesian consortium of four state-owned companies and China Railway International Co. Ltd. The joint venture claims that the trains will be the fastest in Southeast Asia.

The railway line connecting Jakarta and Bandung, a city in West Java province, is part of China's Belt and Road infrastructure initiative. It is expected that it will reduce travel time between the two cities from the current three hours to about 40 minutes.

The eight cars and the inspection train, which arrived on Friday, were designed and built by CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co. Ltd.

In January 2016, construction began on the Jakarta-Bandung line, which was planned as part of a 750 km high-speed train line project to cross four provinces on the main island of Java.

The deal to build the railway was signed in October 2015 after Indonesia chose China over Japan in competitive bidding. China agreed to complete the railway without using Indonesian public funds and without requiring government guarantees for loans.

The rail line was expected to start operating in early 2019, but has been delayed due to land acquisition and funding issues.