Denpasar. Bali's Acting Governor, Sang Made Mahendra Jaya, aims to commence construction of the Bali Urban Rail, a subway project intended to support tourism and reduce congestion, this year.

"If everything is ready, we will definitely start construction. Preparations are ongoing. We hope it will be this year; I am waiting for readiness and reports from the President Director of Sarana Bali Dwipa Jaya (SBDJ)," Mahendra Jaya said in Denpasar on Monday.

He emphasized the importance of the rail-based mass transit system, given the severe congestion on Bali's roads.

"Our priority is clearly on the heavily congested areas, such as Ngurah Rai Airport, Central Parking, Seminyak, and Canggu. These are popular tourist areas," he said.

The planned subway system will connect I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Central Parking Kuta, Seminyak, and Canggu in Badung Regency, aiming to alleviate traffic congestion.

Congestion has been a major problem in Bali, especially in the airport and tourist areas. On Dec. 30, dozens of travelers, both foreign and domestic, left their cars and had to walk to the Ngurah Rai International Airport as traffic congestion became a nightmare nearing the New Year's Eve celebration.

Mahendra Jaya added that although the project is termed a subway, not all sections of the rail corridor will be underground.

"The subway will be constructed in densely populated areas, whereas in less populated regions, it will be designed above ground so tourists can enjoy the Bali scenery," he explained.

He expressed his hope that in the future, all tourist destinations in Bali will be connected by this subway system, which will be developed gradually.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of SBDJ, Dodi Miharjana, mentioned that five companies in four consortia have submitted proposals to invest in the construction of Bali Urban Rail.

"Initially, there were eight interested companies, and five of them submitted qualification documents," Dodi said.

He stated that the qualification process is complete, and the evaluation phase will continue until mid-July 2024.

Dodi highlighted that the interested consortia include a consortium of Indonesian and foreign companies, a European company consortium with a state-owned enterprise, a consortium of two Chinese companies, and a state-owned enterprise consortium.

While he did not disclose the names of the companies involved, he confirmed that SBDJ is currently verifying the completeness and feasibility of the documents.

The target is to begin construction of Bali Urban Rail and its trains by 2024 or 2025, considering the already congested traffic conditions, especially around Ngurah Rai International Airport. "We don't want a situation where by 2027, people are stuck at the airport unable to leave," Dodi said.

Previously, Head of the National Development Agency (Bappenas), Suharso Monoarfa, had warned that the development of underground infrastructure must not harm Bali's environment and culture.

With over 15 million tourists visiting Bali in 2023 and a target of 20 million in 2024, the Bali Provincial Government expects a continuous increase in tourist numbers in the coming years.

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