Transport Minister Budi Karya Sumadi has disclosed details regarding the progress of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) project in Bali. He mentioned that the project is scheduled for groundbreaking, marking the laying of the first stone, in September 2024. “We expect the LRT groundbreaking in September this year,” said Budi Karya during an evening encounter at the Four Seasons Hotel in Jakarta on Thursday (1/2/2024).
Budi Karya explained that, in its overall plan, the Bali LRT will stretch from Ngurah Rai Airport to Mengwi. However, for the initial phase, the train will only connect from the airport to Kuta. “We will build the LRT from the airport to Kuta, Legian, and then to Mengwi. But this time, it will be from the airport to Kuta first. The focus is towards Kuta,” he stated.
Furthermore, he detailed that the construction of Bali LRT Phase 1 will be supported by a loan from South Korea. The Land of the Morning Calm has also committed to conducting a feasibility study for the project. However, he did not specify the loan amount. “If, for the first phase, we get a loan, it will be similar to the MRT scheme. The regional and central governments will bear the loan burden. From South Korea,” he clarified.
As additional information, Budi Karya had previously explained the responsibility distribution for this project. The Bali provincial government will hold the majority of shares at 51%, while the central government will hold 49%. “So, both the capital expenditure (capex) and operational expenditure (opex), the Bali Governor and the Badung Regent have agreed to support funding the capex,” he mentioned in a written statement on Sunday (17/12/2023).
Regarding funding schemes, various options, including Public-Private Partnership (KPBU), can be considered. South Korea has expressed readiness to build the LRT project in Bali.
In a different context, Budi Karya also mentioned that the presence of mass transportation is a solution to address traffic congestion issues in Bali. One project being actively promoted in the near future is the development of the Bali LRT. “In the long term, we will build the LRT in Bali from the airport to strategic points with heavy traffic, such as Sunset Road, Legian, and Canggu,” stated Budi Karya in his statement, written on Sunday (29/12/2023).
According to him, constructing the LRT will take approximately 3 to 4 years. He has not specified when the LRT will be built in Bali. For Phase 1, Budi Karya estimates that the LRT will be constructed by connecting Ngurah Rai Airport to Sunset Road, Kuta.
“Last week, we met with representatives from South Korea who provided a grant for the Feasibility Study (FS) and will provide Official Development Assistance (ODA) Loan for the construction of LRT Phase 1 from the airport to Sunset Road,” Budi Karya concluded.
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