Officials Give Start Date For Bali’s New Tourism Train Network

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The long-awaited Bali Railway Network has been given a starting date.

While officials were hoping that the first construction teams could get to work in the first few months of the year, the start date still isn’t too far away at all. 

The Indonesian Transport Minister, Budi Karya Sumadi, has confirmed that the groundbreaking for the ambitious Bali Railway Network will start in September 2024.

The first of six rail lines to be built will be within the Light Rail Transit System. 

Speaking during a press conference in Jakarta, the Transport Minister confirmed that despite the start date being put back to September, all other plans remain the same at this point.

@chrisviandiwen Woah ini rahasia kita aja ya gimana sih perkembangan MRT Jakarta Fase 2. Semoga pembangunannya bisa lancar terus dan cepat beroperasi. Yang suka naik MRT jakarta senengnya ke Stasiun apa nih? #mrtj #mrtjakarta #metro #metrotrains #railways #foryou #serunyabelajar #infojakarta #infokereta #keretaapi #keretaapiindonesia ♬ Aesthetic – Tollan Kim

The first route to be constructed will connect I Gusti NgurahRai International Airport with Seminyak, finishing at Mengwi. The 30-kilometer line will also stop at Renon in Denpasar and Central Parking in Kuta.

The first phase of construction will be funded by investment from a South Korean company, which is also funding the feasibility studies that remain underway.

The Bali Railway Network will be operated as a joint venture between the Bali Province, which will hold a 51% share, and the Central government, which will have a 49% share.

@sipriyanus02 #Canggu traffic#In ♬ suara asli – Sipri

Minister Sumadi confirmed that the Offices of the Governor of Bali and the Regent of Badung have guaranteed funds for the rail link.

The Transport Minister added, “In the long term, we will build LRT trains in Bali from the airport to several points where traffic has been heaviest, such as Sunset Road, Legian, and Canggu.”

It is evident that progress is being made on the Bali Railway Network and that all officials are in agreement that the project would be a viable solution to Bali’s traffic congestion woes.

However, with the new president coming into power, all that could change. Things could speed right up, or the project could be scrapped again entirely.

@rikazaat 🥰 #balitraffic #canggu #canggutraffic #chakras #yogabali ♬ Twee motten – Dorus

The new president-elect, Prabowo Subianto, has spoken to voters in North Bali in the last few weeks. He brought up the discussion of transportation and his commitment to putting the North Bali Airport back on the list of Presidential Projects. 

The North Bali Airport has been on and off the cards for years, with Bali lovers and local residents at this point unsure whether the project will ever happen at all.

The North Bali Airport would be located in Buleleng Regency and would be established to help funnel more tourism to the north and the west of the island. 

Subianto told his Bali audience during his campaign that the North Bali Airport is an option not only for tourism development but also for provincial security.

He said, “We must not depend on one facility. If something happens, one airport cannot be used; there must be a backup airport.”

He spoke of concerns that a new airport in the north of the island would be another development or infrastructural project that is moving Bali ever further away from its traditional roots.

Subianto noted that the Balinese personality must be preserved; the buildings must all have Balinese characteristics. [We won’t] go around building large buildings. I really believe in this.”

What is clear is that leaders at all stages of the government, from the regency leaders through to the central government Ministers, want to see Bali’s transportation issues tackled once and for all.

The priority, many Bali lovers feel, is simply to keep traffic on the roads moving and create an environment where both local traffic and tourism traffic can flow easily throughout the day. 

Many first-time tourists in Bali noted that the level of traffic congestion was worse than they had imagined.

Although there are many off-the-beaten-path destinations on the island where it is easy to not see vehicles for hours at a time, the reality is that most tourists stay in the most popular resorts, and this is why traffic management needs to be focused most.