Fiery carriage disrupts train services in Java<\/p>\n
Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Cirebon, West Java<\/p>\n
Railroad traffic across Java ground to a halt for up to four
\nhours on Wednesday following an overnight accident involving an
\nArgo Bromo Anggrek I executive train here.<\/p>\n
A spokesman for the railway company PT KAI, Suhartono, said
\nall east and westbound trains were expected to arrive at their
\nrespective destinations a few hours late, to the dismay of
\nthousands of passengers. The Cirebon Express from Jakarta to this
\nWest Java sultanate town was the latest train.<\/p>\n
Apart from the Cirebon Express, the chaos also affected the
\nArgo Muria heading to Semarang from Jakarta, the Bima, plying the
\nJakarta-Surabaya route, the Argo Bromo from Surabaya to Jakarta,
\nthe Argo Dwipangga heading to Surakarta from Jakarta and the
\nTaksaka which was bound for Yogyakarta from Jakarta.<\/p>\n
All trains make a mandatory stop in Cirebon, some 300
\nkilometers east of Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Suhartono said the railway traffic gradually returned to
\nnormal in the afternoon.<\/p>\n
The Argo Bromo Anggrek made an emergency stop in Pabuaran
\nvillage in Subang, some 76 kilometers west of Cirebon station
\nafter its power generating car caught fire around 5 p.m. local
\ntime. The train was on its way to Jakarta from Surabaya.<\/p>\n
An electrical short circuit has been blamed for the fire.<\/p>\n
All 350 passengers on board left the train unscathed.<\/p>\n
It was the second fire on a passenger train in less than four
\nmonths. Late in March a fire gutted the cafetaria car of a
\nGumarang executive train plying the Jakarta-Surabaya route in
\nWedu village, 10 kilometers west of the Central Java town of
\nBlora. No casualties were reported except for a few jangled
\nnerves.<\/p>\n
Suhartono said train operator Mochamad Cholik acted quickly by
\nseparating the blazing car, which was attached just behind the
\nlocomotive, from the rest of train.<\/p>\n
While the locomotive and the generator car were tugged to
\nTanjungrasa station two kilometers away from the scene of the
\naccident, and the passenger carriages were taken back to Pabuaran
\nstation by a Cirebon Express train.<\/p>\n
Suhartono refused to reveal the financial losses PT KAI
\nsuffered from the accident. He said a power generator car cost
\nsome Rp 2.5 billion (US$281,000) six years ago.<\/p>\n
Separately, Subang Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Bambang Sugeng
\ndismissed speculation that the incident was masterminded by a
\ncertain group who wished to sabotage the train.<\/p>\n
\"Our preliminary investigation did not find any indication
\nthat the train was caused by arson. There is strong evidence that
\na short circuit was the prime cause of the accident,\" Bambang
\nsaid.<\/p>",
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