A Greater Jakarta light rail transit (LRT) train. - Antara
JAKARTA: China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC), wholly owned by China Railway and known for its involvement in the Whoosh Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway (HSR), is set to participate in building Bali's first light rail transit (LRT) system.
PT Sarana Bali Dwipa Jaya (SBDJ), which the Bali government has appointed to manage the project, has appointed local firm PT Indotek as the main contractor, in partnership with CRCC, to collaborate with local contractor PT Sinar Bali Bina Karya.
SBDJ president director Ari Askhara emphasised that Indotek’s strong technical expertise and CRCC’s global reputation for railway construction were key factors in their selection.
"CRCC was chosen because of its reputation as a global rail transport contractor with experience building 200,000km of railways in over 100 countries," Ari said on Wednesday (Sept 5), as quoted from Bisnis.
Beijing has increased its presence in the Indonesian railway industry and other infrastructure projects in recent years.
In February, PT Kereta Commuter Indonesia (KCI), a subsidiary of PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI), signed an agreement with Chinese state-owned manufacturer China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) to purchase three complete trains for Rp 783 billion (US$49.15 billion), intended to replace the aging fleet of the Greater Jakarta Commuter Line. Later it decided to procure another eight in July, bringing the total to 11 trains.
The Transportation Ministry also procured three Chinese trains for an autonomous rail transit (ART) system being developed for Nusantara, the future capital city under construction in East Kalimantan, for about Rp 210 billion.
Historically, Indonesia has relied on Japanese trains for its commuter services and initially chose Japan to work on its HSR link project before switching to China.
Beijing and Jakarta completed the Whoosh project in October last year after years of delays and hefty cost overruns.
The LRT project, part of the larger Bali Urban Railway development plan, marks the island's first rail-based public transit initiative.
The overall project aims to connect several key locations on the island, including I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Seminyak, Canggu, Nusa Dua, Sanur and Ubud. It will be carried out in four phases, with the total cost estimated at $20 billion.
Phase 1 will cover a 16-km route from I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport to Kuta Central Park, Seminyak, Berawa and Cemagi. Phase 2 would extend 13.5 km from I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport to Jimbaran, Udayana University and Nusa Dua.
The initial stage, phase 1A, involves constructing a 6.04-km underground LRT track from I Gusti Ngurah Rai to Jl. Sunset in Kuta, with an expected cost of $876 million.
Meanwhile, the third and fourth phases are currently undergoing feasibility studies.
SBDJ said that once completed, foreign tourists would have to pay between $35 and $40 for a weekly pass, which it deemed much cheaper than a $22 one-time online taxi ride from the Bali airport to Cemangi. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
