There’s Light At The End Of The Tunnel For Bali’s Tourist Railway Network

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Officials in Bali have confirmed that progress is chugging away on the Bali Railway Network.

The new railway network will consist of a light rail line, metro line, and tram line that will completely revolutionize the way tourists travel around the island. 

The Bali Provincial Government (Pemprov) and the central government are still in the planning stage of the construction of the long-awaited Bali Railway Line.

The first of six railway lines will connect I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport-Central Parking Kuta-Seminyak and Canggu in Badung Regency.

Speaking from the Sanur Health Special Economic Zone on Wednesday, 31st January, Acting Governor of Bali Sang Made Mahendra Jaya told reporters, “Currently (the subway) is in the process of completing a feasibility study. We hope it will be completed this April.” 

@kraftkamil #Jakarta #city #metro #subway has just one line but it looks great. #indonesia #indonesian #asia #ASEAN ♬ Le Monde – From Talk to Me – Richard Carter

The Acting Governor has not provided details of the investment required; according to local reports, the Bali Provincial Government and the central government are calculating it.

Alongside all this, a South Korean company is also conducting a viability assessment with a funding partnership very much on the table.

Acting Governor Mahendra Jaya explained to reporters that the railway line will, first and foremost, be a support system to tourists and the tourism industry; he explained that underground or subway operations are different from Integrated Mode (Mass Rapid Transit/MRT) and Integrated Cross Rail or light rail (Light RailTransit/LRT) whose tickets are subsidized by the government.

@carlaoliveirra Bali being Bali 😂 Video made exactly at that moment 😂 #bali #canggu #canggubali #fy #traffic #trading #balitraffic #canggutraffic #balitrip #motorcycle #fyindonesia #balitravel #lol #balitiktok #fail ♬ Funny Laugh no no no – Sound Effect

The reason, he continued, is that mobility around the area is predominantly for tourism and business, so the government should not subsidize tickets.

“From the airport, Central Parking, Seminyak, then Canggu, from the survey, 85 percent of the movements were for tourism or business, and only 15 percent were for local people,” the Acting Governor explained. 

The Acting Governor said he is happy to put his backing behind the new Bali Railway Network since widening the roads in these areas would be costly and difficult to coordinate, given the number of existing communities, businesses, and cultural sites along the roads. 

@putramego

Heavy traffic and jam.in Bali. Tourists have to abandon their bused and run to airport about 2 or 3 km

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Most Bali lovers are in agreement that an island-wide transportation infrastructure is urgently needed.

Once open, the Bali Railway Network railway line will make it so much easier for tourists to travel between the island’s most famous beach destinations.

Simply hop on and hop off the railway as they would in Jakarta, Bangkok, or any major European city.

The train line will reduce travel times considerably. Currently, it can take up to an hour to travel from the airport to Kuta and upwards of 90 minutes between Canggu and the terminals.

Over the Christmas and New Year holidays, traffic got so bad on the Mandara Toll Road that tourists had no option but to leave their taxis in the congestion and walk the rest of the way to the airport, which was less than ideal. 

The train line will also help reduce travel costs considerably. Taxi providers charge anything from IDR 300,000 to IDR 1,000,000 for airport pick and drop-off, with online taxi providers charging slightly less.

Even if ticket fares on the Bali Rail Network are priced in such a way as to factor in the huge investment the project will require, tickets will be so much less than hiring a cab. 

In the meantime, however, tourists must be savvy with their travel timings. With peak traffic hours falling between 7-9 am and 4-7 pm, the best way to avoid getting stuck in traffic is to leave super early or even drive in the middle of the day.

Tourists should avoid driving at night where possible since this is when the highest concentration of collisions occurs. 

Officials have not yet revealed how traffic on Bali’s roads will be impacted while construction of the rail network is underway; everyone has their fingers crossed that things won’t get worse before they get better.