LRT Project Feasibility Study In Bali Targeted To Be Completed This Year

Head Of Bali Transportation Agency IGW Samsi Gunarta/ANTARA/Ni Putu Putri Muliantari

Head of the Bali Province Transportation Agency (Dishub), IGW Samsi Gunarta, said that the feasibility study or feasibility study for the Light Rail Transit (LRT) project on the Island of the Gods will be completed in 2023.

"The feasibility study plan for completion in 2023 is correct, after that, FS will continue to discuss how the financing strategy is, how to return it," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, May 23.

The schedule for the completion of the feasibility study stage was also previously mentioned by the Governor of Bali Wayan Koster, saying, after this will enter the planning stage.

"In the future, it will be decided if there is clarity, maybe an investment auction can be made, it could also prepare funds if the government is constructed, and it depends on what the results of the feasibility study will be," said Samsi.

Until now, the Head of the Bali Transportation Agency noted that the FS process for the LRT project or light trains had been running at 40 percent, in which the final results of the feasibility study were in the form of financial, technical and environmental feasibility.

Around 40 percent of the total 9.4 km of the total LRT distance to be built in Bali, where what has been tested is the Kuta Parking Central Point to Seminyak, while what has not yet been from the point of I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport to Kuta Parking Central.

"That's 9.4 km in total, from I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport to the Kuta Parking Center for the subway, then Kuta Parking Central to Seminyak above. But it's still divided again, calculated, whether it's below or above because we don't want the traffic to be disrupted either," explained the Head of the Bali Transportation Agency.

Based on the Bali Provincial Government's target, the first train to be built will start operating in 2027, Samsi said that at that time the airport would be full so that this mode of transportation was needed.

The LRT project began to be discussed by the Bali Provincial Government since 2020, Kadishub explained that it took a long time for this project, just like when the MRT in Jakarta was in process.

Asked about the low interest of the Balinese people in the use of public transportation, he considered it because public transportation such as Trans Metro Buses was also affected by congestion on the highway.

"If the Trans Metro Bus is jammed, it's both jammed (with private vehicles, ed) the public may not want it. But if there is one traffic jam or not (the subway, ed) might also think about it later," he said.

Regarding this railway project, previously the Governor of Bali had established communication with the British Ambassador who offered to cooperate for public transportation projects.

The Bali Transportation Agency explained that this offer was not final, because at this stage their FS is still working with South Korea.

"That's just an offer, this is the Korean side working, if they work, it means they have prepared a financial plan, but if for example they are resigned or expensive, then we have evaluated it, look for something else," he explained.

According to him, the vision for clean energy and public transportation has many similarities between Indonesia and world countries, so that apart from Britain there is also support from other countries such as South Korea.