Train to Seminyak?
While Bali is perhaps not famous for its mass transportation, the island’s officials are eyeing to develop an electric train system with Ngurah Rai Airport-Seminyak as its first route, an official has confirmed.
Bali Transportation Agency Head IGW Samsi Gunarta said today that the government is conducting feasibility studies for the planned electric railway, but expected financial closing to be reached in 2023.
“There are still many calculations [and it’s] not simple because it will involve a skyrocketing budget. But [the first] route is from the airport to Seminyak,” Samsi said, referring to the posh area in Badung popular for its nightclubs, beaches, and boutiques.
Other routes that are being studied include connecting the airport to Denpasar, Renon, Sanur, and Benoa, Samsi added.
Conceding that the planned train would cost a lot and may be derailed if confronted with financial challenges, Samsi said the electric railway would be good for the Island of Gods in the long run.
“The current situation is that we can no longer add road infrastructure to the maximum capacity in the urban parts in Bali. So, like it or not, we must use other means of transportation. People won’t switch [from private vehicles to public transport] if the [public] transport is not reliable,” he said.
Bali currently does not possess any railway systems. The island is also hardly known for its mass transit systems, with one of the few public buses (not including tourist buses) being the state-owned bus service Trans Metro.
