Flash flooding paralyzes southern railway networks<\/p>\n
Yuli Tri Suwarni and Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Bandung\/Purwokerto<\/p>\n
The southern railway services linking Jakarta and other cities
\nin West, Central and East Java provinces via Cilacap (Central
\nJava) were still paralyzed on Thursday, forcing all train
\nservices to be rerouted to the center and northern links via
\nYogyakarta and Cirebon.<\/p>\n
Since Tuesday 12 districts in Cilacap regency, 7 districts in
\nthe regency of Kebumen and three districts in Banyumas have been
\ninundated by flood waters.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday a one-kilometer segment of railway track linking
\nthe two small towns of Kawunganten and Jeruklegi began subsiding.
\nThe situation had not improved by Thursday, when the track had
\nsubsided around one meter. Kawunganten and Jeruklegi are in two
\nof the 12 districts that have suffered flooding in Cilacap
\nregency.<\/p>\n
The track in the same area subsided five years ago following a
\nbig flood, according to PT KAI records.<\/p>\n
The cutting of the railway line has forced 20 trains to be
\nrerouted to the center and northern routes.<\/p>\n
This situation has brought about a serious logjam in railway
\ntraffic on the center and northern lines, delaying all trains by
\nfour hours until Thursday.<\/p>\n
Six economy class trains from Bandung have been suspended.
\n\"Most of the passengers get off in Cilacap, where trains could
\nnot enter due to heavy flooding,\" said Akhmad Suyadi, spokesman
\nfor PT KAI at its Bandung office.<\/p>\n
In Purwokerto, spokesman for PT KAI local office Supriyadi
\nsaid that the local residents, whose houses were submerged by
\nflood water, were helping railway company employees to shift the
\nsinking track.<\/p>\n
He said gravel and sand had been poured to fill the hole where
\nthe track was sinking.<\/p>\n
\"We have poured more than 600 cubic meters of gravel and
\nsand,\" Supriyadi said.<\/p>\n
Gatot Wibowo, spokesman for the state railway company PT KAI
\nhead office said on Thursday in Bandung that the soil between
\nKawunganten and Jeruklegi was very unstable.<\/p>\n
\"There are now 75 workers repairing the track. If the weather
\nis good on Friday repair work can hopefully be finished on
\nSaturday and the railway services will return to normal.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/flash-flooding-paralyzes-southern-railway-networks-1447893297",
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