Bali Hopeful New Metro System Will Be Operating By 2028

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Bali’s leaders have confirmed that they hope the new Bali Urban Rail Metro Line will be completed by 2028.

With much work to do in the next four years, leaders are working behind the scenes to keep pushing for progress on this long-awaited project. 

The Badung Regional Secretary, I Wayan Adi Arnawa, told reporters that the first phase of the metro line’s groundbreaking and foundation building will start in September 2024, and it will be in operation in 2028.

Arnawa confirmed that the groundbreaking plans and targets for MRT Bali have been jointly discussed and decided upon by the provincial, city, and district governments together with PT Sarana Bali Dwipa Jaya. 

Arnawa said, “The target for completing the route in Badung is because (the project) is gradual. The first stage is targeted to be completed hopefully in 2028.”

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He added, “This minimizes land use on the surface [compared to roads]. So that Bali remains as it is now. Our area is limited and small; if everything is exploited, we will lose our identity. The current panorama will not disappear.”

Investors for the project have now been secured with an official announcement due next week. The final budgeting process is underway, and the investors that have signed up have been requested to ensure that all agreements and paperwork are in place by the end of this month, ready for groundbreaking in September. 

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After years of speculation and slow progress, things are now moving pretty quickly. The confirmation that investors are on board and that the prospective start date of September comes a little over a month since the Acting Governor of Bali, Sang Made Mahendra Jaya, called a meeting titled “Submitting Investment Interest in Bali Urban Rail and Associated Facilities and Submitting Qualification Documents” where bids were formally submitted. 

Speaking in late May, Acting Governor Jaya said, “This event is a new milestone in the development of transportation infrastructure in Bali. Construction and development of tourism corridors equipped with train-based mass public transportation systems through a business-to-business investment model.”

@xpandervpower semenjak ke sg lagi jadi lebih suka keliling pake mrt 😅😅 #indonesia #malaysia #singapore #metro #mrt ♬ Guilty as Sin x About You – molana_zhr

With money on the way, Arnawa told reporters this week that the huge sum of funds must be managed with utmost diligence. He said, “It cannot be denied that this process needs to be gradual with a large budget. We ask for community support so that this project can run smoothly so that traffic jams in Badung and Bali in general can be resolved.” 

Arnawa said that the project would help boost tourism in the Badung Regency area by reducing traffic congestion throughout the region. Badung Regency is the administrative area home to top Bali resorts like Kuta, Legian, Seminyak, Canggu, Uluwatu, and Nusa Dua.

While this is the most popular vacation and travel destination for tourists in Bali, it is undeniable that traffic congestion is an issue that is impacting every tourist who visits the island, as well as every local resident. 

As reported in February 2024, the Bali Urban Rail Metro system is set to offer trains as regularly as possible to help keep tourists flowing through Bali’s busiest tourist resorts.

The Head of the Bali Transportation Service, Gede Wayan Samsi Gunarta, told reporters earlier this year that the capacity of the metro service is being designed. 

Gunarta revealed, “We are currently calculating the number of seats and operational times. So, how many trains will there be [we can’t yet say], but we are targeting at least every 15 minutes.”

Initial concept maps show how the Bali Urban Rail Network will eventually comprise six lines, including a tramway. The first metro line to be constructed will be Line 1, which is set to connect Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport with Kuta Bech, Central Parking, Legian, Seminyak, the station that will be known as Seminyak Intersection, and onwards to Kerobokan and North Denpasar.

The second line has been outlined as a circular route connecting Bali Airport with the resorts of Benoa, Sanur, and Sindhi. The line will circle back towards the heart of Denpasar, through Renon and Monument, and continue south and southwesterly towards Bonjol Square, Central Parking, Kuta, and then the airport once again.