Police Name Argo Bromo Driver Suspect in Bekasi Train Crash<\/p>\n
Reporter<\/p>\n
September 29, 2026 | 09:56 pm<\/p>\n
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Jakarta Metropolitan Police\u2019s Criminal\nInvestigation Directorate has named AN (37), the driver of the Argo\nBromo Anggrek train, a suspect in the fatal collision with a commuter\nline (KRL) at East Bekasi Station after finding that he braked too late\ndespite fully functioning track signals.<\/p>\n
The accident involving the Argo Bromo Anggrek train and the\nCikarang-bound Commuter Line killed 16 people on April 27, 2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cBased on the results of the investigation and the evidence gathered,\ninvestigators have named AN, a 37-year-old male, as a suspect,\u201d said\nDeputy Director of General Criminal Investigation at the Jakarta\nMetropolitan Police, Adj. Comr. Sr.\u00a0I Dewa Putu Gede Anom Danujaya,\nduring a press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday, September 29.<\/p>\n
Dewa explained that the suspect, who drove the Argo Bromo Anggrek\ntrain, faces charges under Articles 323, 324, and 474 of Law No.\u00a01\/2023\non the Criminal Code, alongside Articles 198 and 206 of Law No.\u00a023\/2007\non Railways.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe maximum sentence is five to 12 years in prison. Investigators\nwill then summon the suspect for questioning,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The naming of the suspect followed a scientific crime investigation,\nwith police questioning 54 witnesses and analyzing CCTV footage,\ncommunication logs, and train operation data (data loggers).<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Metropolitan Police also involved the National Police\nForensic Laboratory Center (Puslabfor), the Directorate General of\nRailways, and experts in forensic medicine, railway systems, signaling,\ntelecommunications, and criminal law.<\/p>\n
Data Logger Reveals Delayed Emergency Braking<\/p>\n
Head of Unit 1, Sub-Directorate 1 of State Security (Kamneg) at the\nJakarta Metropolitan Police, Adj. Comr. Muhammad Rizka, explained that\npre-reconstruction showed the repeater signal and main signal were\nclearly visible from an adequate distance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe repeater signal was 400 meters away, for a total of 800 meters.\nFrom the previous 200 meters, the repeater signal was still visible. In\ntotal, the signal was visible for approximately one kilometer,\u201d Rizka\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Citing a railway expert who applied the Minden theory, Rizka stated\nthat based on the speed recorded on the data logger, braking was fully\ncapable of bringing the train to a complete stop within 600 meters.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, the facts on the ground show that the engineer only\nactivated the brakes at a distance of 263 meters,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The engineer told investigators that he hesitated and feared that\napplying emergency brakes suddenly from a distance would cause the train\ncarriages to overturn.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat reason is refuted by the railway expert\u2019s testimony using the\nMinden theory. It should have been capable of a complete stop at 600\nmeters,\u201d Rizka asserted.<\/p>\n
Violation of Standard Railway Operating Procedures<\/p>\n
Rizka also highlighted the suspect\u2019s violation of Standard Operating\nProcedures (SOP) under Service Regulation No.\u00a019 Article 50 concerning\nRailways, which dictates that if a driver is unsure about a signal\nindication, he must make the safest, most restrictive decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he\u2019s unsure whether the signal is red, Article 50 states: take\nthe most severe action, namely stopping the train, and then confirm,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Police confirmed that the main signal and the repeater signal were\nsynchronized and functioning normally to issue a stop command at the\ntime of the incident.<\/p>\n
Dewa added that the fatal incident comprised a sequence of two events\nthat occurred in close succession.<\/p>\n
Further Coordination and Safety Findings<\/p>\n
Regarding further evaluation of the railway system, investigators\ncontinue to coordinate with experts from the Directorate General of\nRailways at the Ministry of Transportation, while leaving the final\ndetermination of criminal negligence to the judicial process.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe verdict of negligence is up to the judge,\u201d Rizka added.<\/p>\n
Previously, the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT)\nrevealed six contributing factors to the collision between the Argo\nBromo Anggrek and Commuter Line trains in East Bekasi, Bekasi, West\nJava, based on its investigation results.<\/p>\n
\u201cContributing factors are actions, conditions, events, or a\ncombination of these that, if eliminated, avoided, or absent, would\nreduce the likelihood of an accident or lessen its severity,\u201d the KNKT\nreport stated, as quoted in Jakarta on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
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