Is There a Train in Bali in 2027? Metro & Tram Status

Is There a Train in Bali in 2027? The Metro That Was Cancelled, the Airport Tram, and What Actually Moves You

Short answer: no — and 2027 is not the year that changes. Bali has no passenger railway, no stations you can use, and nothing to board. What does happen in 2027 is the start of construction on a battery-electric tram between the airport and Canggu, with the first section opening in 2028. The far more ambitious project — the underground "Bali Metro" that was supposed to solve the island's traffic — was abandoned in August 2026 because the private money never turned up.

So plan 2027 exactly as you would plan any year: a driver, a ride-hailing app, a scooter, or a shuttle. The tram is a 2028 story.

Quick reference: every rail project in Bali, and where it actually stands

Project	Status	Timing	What it means for your trip
Bali Metro (underground)	Abandoned in favour of light rail	Announced August 2026	Nothing — it will not be built
Airport–Cemagi line (16 km underground)	Cancelled	Was targeted for 2028	Nothing
Airport–Nusa Dua line (13.5 km)	Cancelled	Was targeted for 2031	Nothing
Airport–Canggu electric tram (KAI, ~12 km)	Under construction	Groundbreaking ~March 2027, first section 2028	Roadworks on the airport road, not a new way to travel
Sentral Parkir Kuta–Sanur line	Named, no dates	Unknown	Nothing yet
Renon–Sukawati–Ubud line	Named, no dates	Unknown	Nothing yet
The old Bali railway (Surabaya–Gilimanuk)	Lifted in the 1960s–70s	Historic	Nothing — there is nothing left to ride

What Bali's railway actually was

Bali used to be on a railway line. The island was a stop on the Surabaya–Banyuwangi–Gilimanuk route, with a branch that ran to the port of Putu Sekar — which is how the cement and coal that Balinese building depended on arrived. The most famous remnant was the railway bridge over the Seririt river, where the line crossed between Bali's two halves.

The line was lifted in the 1960s and 1970s, and today there is no station on the island you could walk into and buy a ticket at. If you are travelling from Java by rail, the train takes you to Ketapang in East Java and you finish the journey on the ferry to Gilimanuk — the rail line stops at the strait.

The Bali Metro: what it promised, and why it died

The idea was ambitious in the way Bali's big plans usually are. Announced as a provincial urban railway in 2022 and elevated to a national project, it was a network of more than 60 kilometres with four lines: Ngurah Rai Airport to Cemagi (16 km, underground), the airport to Nusa Dua (13.5 km), a Sentral Parkir Kuta–Sanur line, and a Renon–Sukawati–Ubud line. Underground running at up to 100 km/h, with the airport lines sharing a depot at Ngurah Rai.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held in September 2024 with a Chinese consortium, CRCC. No construction started between then and August 2026. The numbers were the problem. The scale of it was extraordinary for a province, and the financing was planned entirely from private investors with no government budget and no guaranteed loans behind it. That investment never materialised, and in August 2026 Bali's governor announced the metro had been abandoned in favour of light rail.

If you read "Bali will have a train by 2027" in an article written before that announcement, it is out of date. The metro is the wrong story to remember.

What replaced it: the airport–Canggu tram

The project that survived is smaller, simpler and aimed at one specific problem: the road between the airport, Kuta and Canggu, which is the most congested corridor on the island.

Operator: Indonesian State Railways (KAI / PT Kereta Api Indonesia) with the Bali provincial government.
Technology: battery-electric tram, no overhead wires — which matters on a route that has to cross streets, roundabouts and existing traffic.
Length: roughly 12 kilometres.
Journey: about 30 minutes from the airport to Canggu, against an hour or more by car at the wrong time of day.
Capacity: figures of up to 60,000 passengers a day have been quoted.
Timeline: groundbreaking targeted for March 2027, with the first section opening in 2028 and the full line to Canggu completed after that.

The honest risks are worth stating plainly. The route has to pass through two of the most crowded and most contested parts of the island, Kuta and Canggu, and land acquisition in those areas is the hard part of the project. The dates have already slipped once: the original target was 2027 for the whole thing, and now construction is 2027 and opening is 2028. Treat March 2027 as "the ceremonial dig happens", not as a guarantee.

What this means if you are travelling in 2027

Your day-to-day transport does not change. There is no train to catch, no tram to ride, and no timetable to plan around. The three things that actually get you around the island in 2027 are the same three that get you around it today:

A private driver for a day with several stops, which is also the simplest way to cover distance when you are two or three people.
Grab or Gojek for single hops, with Grab strongest in the south (Kuta, Seminyak, Canggu, the airport) and Gojek stronger in the north and inland (Ubud, Sidemen, Lovina).
A scooter, if — and only if — you hold a motorcycle licence together with an International Driving Permit.

What does change is the road. With the tram breaking ground in March 2027, expect lane closures and slower traffic on the airport–Kuta–Canggu corridor through 2027 and into 2028. If your flight lands in the morning and you have an activity booked for the same day, leave a bigger gap than usual, or have us collect you with the transfer that is already part of your booking.

And it will not solve the traffic. Even when the tram is running, it serves the airport–Canggu corridor. It does not reach Ubud, Kintamani, the rice terraces or the temples. The interior of the island — which is where all of the interesting driving happens — stays car-dependent, so a driver remains the answer for a full day out.

What to book instead, and when

If you want the new tram experience, the earliest you could possibly ride it is 2028, and even then only the first section. For 2027, book these instead and you will not miss anything:

The jeep sunrise tour to Mount Batur — a private vehicle, an early start and the best light on the island, unaffected by any rail project.
The rice terrace trek at Jatiluwih — hotel transfer included from Ubud, Kuta and Sanur, and the walk itself takes you away from the traffic entirely.
The Tirta Empul temple tour — pickup included within Ubud, and the road to Tampaksiring is not part of any tram corridor.
The ATV rides — three separate tracks around Ubud and Gianyar, each with its own meeting point well away from the airport road.
Bali Swing — a managed hillside park with its own transfer arrangements.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a train in Bali?

No. There are no passenger trains, no stations you can use, and nothing to board. The old island line was lifted in the 1960s and 1970s. The only rail journey that reaches Bali ends at the Java side of the strait, at Ketapang, and finishes on the ferry to Gilimanuk.

Will there be a train in Bali in 2027?

No. 2027 is the year construction begins on the airport–Canggu electric tram, with the first section opening in 2028. The underground Bali Metro that was originally supposed to be finished by 2027 was abandoned in August 2026 because the private investment behind it never materialised.

Why was the Bali Metro cancelled?

Because the entire plan depended on private investors rather than government money or guaranteed loans. The scale was extraordinary for a province, and it was to be paid for entirely by private investors, with no government budget and no guaranteed loans. A groundbreaking ceremony was held in September 2024, but no construction followed, and the project was dropped in August 2026 in favour of a smaller light-rail approach.

Can I take a train from Java to Bali?

Not all the way. You can ride Indonesian trains to Ketapang in East Java and then cross the Bali Strait by ferry to Gilimanuk, which takes about 45 minutes. There has never been a rail link across the strait.

Does the new tram connect the airport to Ubud?

No. The tram is an airport–Canggu line, roughly 12 kilometres long, and Canggu is on the coast — not inland. Ubud is served by the Renon–Sukawati–Ubud line in the original master plan, which has been named but has no dates, no construction and no funding behind it.

Are the tram dates confirmed?

The groundbreaking is targeted for March 2027 and the first section for 2028, but the project has already slipped once from its original 2027 completion target. Land acquisition through Kuta and Canggu remains the main risk. Treat any date as a plan rather than a promise.

Will the tram change Bali's traffic?

Not on its own. It serves one corridor between the airport and Canggu. The island's other congested routes — Ubud to Kintamani, Ubud to the southern coast, the road to the temples — are untouched by it. It is a useful piece of infrastructure, not a solution.

Should I plan for roadworks if I visit in 2027?

Yes. From around March 2027 expect slower traffic between the airport, Kuta and Canggu. Allow extra time on airport transfers, especially in the afternoon peak, and build a buffer between an early flight and a booked activity the same morning.

Keep planning your trip as if the tram is years away

Because it is. We run our own guides and our own vehicles, our airport transfers cover Ubud, Kuta, Canggu, Seminyak, Jimbaran and Nusa Dua, and every one of our activities can be booked with the transfer attached — so the 2027 roadworks are something you do not have to think about.

Jeep tour to Mount Batur — our vehicle, sunrise on the volcano
Rice terrace trekking at Jatiluwih — hotel transfer included
ATV rides — three tracks around Ubud and Gianyar
Bali Swing — nine swings above Ubud
Tirta Empul spiritual tour — pickup included within Ubud

Or message us on WhatsApp at +62 851-7516-3718 with your flight details and we will confirm the pickup, the timing and the whole amount in one reply.