Design work has begun in Bali on a line intended to link Ngurah Rai Airport with Kuta, Legian, Seminyak and Canggu.
On September 1, the Bali provincial government, the Badung regency and Indonesia's state railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) signed an agreement on developing rail transport. Specialists are now studying the future route and its technical parameters.
For tourists, the key point is that the tram should cut travel time significantly. According to the latest estimates, the trip from the airport to Canggu will take about 30 minutes. Right now the same journey by car can take an hour and a half or more during peak hours.
That said, the tram is not coming any time soon. Construction is still at the design and preparation stage. The first section, from the airport to Legian, is planned to open in the fourth quarter of 2028, and the second, running to Canggu, in the first quarter of 2031. The line will be 13.1 kilometers long in total.
The line will be served by a battery-powered electric tram. Charging is planned at the depot, at the terminal stations and at points where trams pass each other. KAI expects this approach to make overhead wiring unnecessary and to preserve the look of the coastal areas.
Planning the route also means taking Bali's own particularities into account. KAI is studying the locations of temples, residential areas, tourist sites and other infrastructure. On some stretches, for instance, an elevated version of the line may prove impossible because of temples nearby. The question of the land needed for construction will have to be settled separately, and KAI will handle it together with local authorities.
Bali Governor Wayan Koster has said previously that the tram should not only help ease traffic congestion but also become a new attraction for tourists. Officials estimate that about 150,000 people and 80,000 vehicles travel between the airport and Canggu every day.
Transport experts, however, suggest not betting on the tram alone. The Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI) in Bali believes the island first needs to expand its existing bus network, Trans Sarbagita and Trans Metro Dewata. At the moment it does not adequately cover the areas from which people need to reach the main routes.
MTI Bali chairman I Made Rai Ridartha argues that the tram should operate together with buses and other modes of transport rather than exist on its own. What is more, the new system should be convenient not only for tourists but also for local residents who commute to work and run errands every day.
There is also the question of funding. If the tram is built with private money, investors will be able to carry out the project as long as they meet the authorities' requirements. But if regional budget funds are used, MTI suggests first weighing what matters more: a new tram, or the things Bali's public transport is already lacking today.
How much a ride will cost is not yet known. The authorities and KAI have not announced fares. But if the project goes ahead as currently planned, it will be possible to get from the airport to Canggu in about half an hour instead of a long drive through traffic — and that is meant to be the main benefit of the new line for tourists and residents of southern Bali.
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