Bali airport–Canggu railway construction targeted for early 2027
KAI plans two construction phases via Kuta, Legian and Seminyak, while WALHI Bali has raised concerns about land and environmental impacts.
PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) aims to begin building a railway connecting Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport with Canggu in early 2027, subject to completion of preparatory work. President director Bobby Rasyidin said the project would take about two to three years.
Speaking at a Jakarta press conference on 10 November 2026, Bobby said route surveys were complete and the data had been compiled. He expected the route study to take another two or three weeks to finish.
Construction is planned in two stages. KAI aims to complete the airport-to-Legian section within one year, followed by the extension from Legian to Canggu. The planned route would also serve Kuta and Seminyak.
Environmental group WALHI Bali said it was not opposed to a railway that supported Bali’s development and helped ease congestion. However, its regional executive director, Anak Agung Gede Surya Sentana, warned against taking community land, subak land or coastal land for the project.
He said construction should not reduce communities’ living space or encroach on areas with ecological functions. WALHI Bali would oppose development that threatened or damaged the environment, he said, but would support a sustainable project that benefited communities, particularly customary communities.
