Jakarta, IO – Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said that the Bali light rail transit (LRT) project could begin construction in early 2024 to facilitate access to and from the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.
Luhut said that the construction of the Bali LRT is ready to begin because the planning and study have been carried out a long time ago. However, it was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, per Detikcom, Wednesday (27/9).
“We hope that the groundbreaking can be done early next year,” he said.
The infrastructure is considered vital because the international airport is projected to serve 24 million passengers by 2026.
Furthermore, Luhut said President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has requested that further studies be carried out to determine the route extension. It is possible that the LRT will be extended from Ngurah Rai Airport to Seminyak and Canggu. Meanwhile, the estimated ticket price is between US$1-2 (Rp15,000 to Rp31,000 per passenger).
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Meanwhile, National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) deputy for facilities and infrastructure Ervan Maksum said the construction will probably be underground due to several spatial planning codes in Bali.
With these considerations, Ervan estimates that construction costs will be much more expensive. In fact, it could be up to three times more costly than using elevated track. (bp)