Bali Will Develop the First Railway Transit System
Bali will have its first railway network. Currently, Bali is planning to build a light rail transportation system (LRT). The LRT is aimed to link Ngurah Rai International Airport to Kuta and the construction process is expected to start in the coming months.
To do this, the Korea Overseas Infrastructure & Urban Development Corporation (KIND), the Korean Rail Network Authority (KRNA) and the public construction company Nindya Karya already signed an agreement to allow the development of the light rail system to be carried out in Bali. The MoU follows an announcement made by the Governor of Bali, I Wayan Koster last May when he announced the improvement of public transport on the island, especially those connecting the airport to several tourism areas.
“The new LRT network may provide a new alternative to reach the airport, which may reduce traffic around the airport,” said Ikmal Lukman, a deputy in charge of planning the various investments within the Indonesia Investment Coordination Council (BKPM).
The light metro represents an investment of 5,000 billion Indonesian Rupiah, which is equivalent to 365 million US dollars. The network will extend over 4.78 kilometers and will be composed of 4 stations and terminals which will be around Kuta. According to Nindya Karya’s acting chief executive officer, Haedar A Karim, the light rail will be just one of many infrastructure projects to come to Bali, as this development will later include the development of a green city and several other transit-oriented projects around Seminyak and Kuta.
The light rail transportation system project is expected to be operational according to Haedar by 2020.