Bali Metro

Bali Urban Subway
Overview
Native nameModa Raya Terpadu (MRT) Bali
Area servedDenpasar metropolitan area
LocaleBali, Indonesia
Transit typeRapid transit
Number of lines
4 (cancelled)
Operation
CharacterUnderground
Technical
System length29.5 km (18.3 mi)
(under construction)
over 60.0 km (37.3 mi) (preparation)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
(standard gauge)
Top speed100 km/h (underground section)[citation needed]

The Bali Mass Rapid Transit (Indonesian: Moda Raya Terpadu Bali; Bali MRT), or officially known as the Bali Urban Subway or Bali Metro, was a planned rapid transit system in Bali, Indonesia. In August 2026 Governor of Bali (I Wayan Koster) announced that the Metro system had been abandoned in favour of Light rail due to a lack of private investment.

It was part of a government plan to ease traffic within the Denpasar metropolitan area in a project called the Bali Provincial Government Urban Railway.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held in September 2024, but no construction had started between then and August 2026 when it was cancelled as noticed by journalists in April 2026. Line 1 connecting Ngurah Rai International Airport to Cemagi and Line 2 connecting Ngurah Rai International Airport to Nusa Dua was originally estimated to open in 2031.

Background

Bali is the main tourist destination hub and largest population center of the Lesser Sunda Islands in Indonesia, harbouring 4.5 million inhabitants, of which nearly half are located in Denpasar metropolitan area. It is estimated that over 1 million residents and tourists commute daily in Denpasar metropolitan area each day. Transport issues are attracting increasing political attention with the government. Over 5.2 million international tourists visited Bali in 2023. Denpasar is the busiest entry port to Indonesia ahead of Jakarta and Batam. In 2019, around 1.3 million of foreign tourists came from Australia, 1.1 million from China, and 0.4 million from India. Meanwhile, 9.5 million domestic tourists visited Bali in 2023.

The idea of constructing an MRT in Bali appeared in 2022 after COVID-19 and recovery in tourism arrivals, because of congested and hazardous roads, and in popular and built-up areas, gridlock frustrates locals and tourists.

Development

Officials holding a traditional ceremony for the groundbreaking of the Bali Urban Subway

First development

The process of developing the first line of the Bali MRT began when President Joko Widodo designated the system as a national project. In September 2024, the project was collaborated with CRCC for the MRT project. In total, the investment value for the first two lines reached US$10.8 billion and for the entire four lines is US$20 billion. Work on line 1 was expected to be slower due to rocky and hard underground conditions, compared to line 2 which was expected to be faster because of the limestone or alluvial soil conditions which makes it easier during the drilling process.

At the same time as the inauguration of the first phase of the North-South Line, President Joko Widodo also launched the construction of the first phase of the Ngurah Rai Airport–Cemagi Line and the Ngurah Rai Airport–Nusa Dua Line. This project, known as the Bali Provincial Government Urban Railway, includes four "Bali Urban Railway" MRT lines.

The routes initially planned, devised, and belonging to the Bali provincial government are:

  1. MRT Ngurah Rai International Airport–Cemagi Line.
  2. MRT Ngurah Rai International Airport–Nusa Dua Line.
  3. MRT Sentral Parkir Kuta–Sanur Line.
  4. MRT Renon–Sukawati–Ubud Line.

Funding

Phase 1

The project was entirely financed by the private sector on a business-to-business, meaning that the Subway Bali project was to be developed without any funding from state or regional budgets or loans guaranteed by the government, either at the central or regional levels. The investment for the first phase (Lines 1 and 2) amounts to US$10.8 billion.

Phase 2

The investment value for Phase 2 (Lines 3 and 4) reached US$10 billion, bringing the total investment to US$20 billion.

System network

The Bali MRT was expected to stretch across over 60 kilometres (37 mi), with 16.0 kilometres (9.9 mi) dedicated to the Ngurah Rai Airport–Cemagi line and 13.5 kilometres (8.4 mi) to the Ngurah Rai Airport–Nusa Dua line. Trains were to operate on the right-hand side, aligning with the current system used in Indonesian railways despite Indonesia’s left-hand road traffic system.

The following table lists the MRT lines that are planned as of September 2024.

Colour and line name Line Service commencement Terminus Stations Length Depot
Cancelled
Ngurah Rai Airport–Cemagi Line 1 2028 (Cancelled) Ngurah Rai Airport
Cemagi		 TBA 16.0 km (9.9 mi) Ngurah Rai
Ngurah Rai Airport–Nusa Dua Line 2 2031 (Cancelled) Ngurah Rai Airport
Nusa Dua		 TBA 13.5 km (8.4 mi) Ngurah Rai
Sentral Parkir Kuta–Sanur Line 3 Never Announced Sentral Parkir Kuta
Sanur		 TBA TBA TBA
Renon–Ubud Line 4 Never Announced Renon
Ubud		 TBA TBA TBA

Criticism

The Bali Mass Rapid Transit project had been criticized due to delays and a lack of any visible construction on the project, despite the groundbreaking ceremony in 2024 (which has often been mislabelled as the start of construction). According to The Bali Sun, there had been no updates from either PT Sarana Bali Dwipa Jaya (SBDJ) or PT Bumi Indah Permai (BIP) on the construction of the metro system as of February 2026.

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 lit. "Bali Integrated Mass Mode"
  2. ↑ "Serves on All Phase "

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Resmi! Proyek MRT Bali Dimulai Hari Ini". detik.com (in Indonesian). 2024. p. 1. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  2. 1 2 antaranews.com (5 September 2024). "Bali's long-awaited mass transit project takes off". Antara News. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  3. ↑ Preston, Robert (14 August 2026). "Bali abandons metro in favour of light rail". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Bali akan Punya MRT dan LRT Senilai Ratusan Triliun, Seperti Apa Jalurnya?". katadata.co.id (in Indonesian). 2024. p. 1. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  5. ↑ https://www.balidiscovery.com/balis-mrt-subway-project-stalled-and-running-on-empty/
  6. ↑ "Kunjungan Wisatawan Mancanegara: Fakta di Bulan April 2024" [Statistics of Tourism in Bali Province]. balimanagement.villas. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  7. ↑ "Batam Island – Where Business Meets Pleasure – Indonesia.Travel". indonesia.travel. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  8. ↑ "Bali Statistics". Bali Government Tourism Office. 20 February 2020. Archived from the original on 7 September 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  9. ↑ "Jumlah Wisatawan Mancanegara Ke Bali Tembus 5 Juta Kunjungan pada 2023" [Number of Foreign Tourists in Bali Surpasses 5 Million Visits in 2023]. balimanagement.villas. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  10. ↑ "Why Bali's traffic congestion gets worse every year, and how it is affecting tourism". scmp.com. 2024. p. 1. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  11. 1 2 "Babak Baru Megaproyek MRT Bali Senilai US$ 20 M yang Diklaim Atasi Kemacetan". .detik.com (in Indonesian). 2024. p. 1. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  12. ↑ "Bali Subway Project Commences the New Phase with Major Investment". indonesiaexpat.id. 2024. p. 1. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  13. ↑ Sun, The Bali (11 February 2026). "Questions Raised Over Slow Progress On Bali Metro System As Tourist Traffic Congestion Worsens". The Bali Sun. Retrieved 31 March 2026.