Travel by train is safe: Official<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): An official at state railway company PT Kereta
\nApi Indonesia (KAI) assured the public on Tuesday that it was
\nsafe for commuters to use trains.<\/p>\n
\"We have urged our train dispatchers to ensure that there will
\nbe no trains speeding on single line tracks anymore,\" KAI
\nspokesman for Greater Jakarta Zainal Abidin told The Jakarta
\nPost.<\/p>\n
He said the company would do its best to cope with the
\nproblem.<\/p>\n
\"We assure passengers of their safety to the best of our
\nability. If accidents happen again, it will be the will of God,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
So far, human error, together with defective train signals and
\nserious damage at KAI's central traffic control (CTC) system in
\nManggarai, South Jakarta, has been blamed as the main cause of
\nMonday's head-on collision between the two trains. The trains
\ncollided on a single line track at the Bumi Serpong Damai housing
\ncomplex on Monday, killing four people and injuring 37 others.<\/p>\n
Following the latest accident, Director General of Land
\nTransportation Santo Budiono announced his resignation on
\nTuesday.<\/p>\n
The resignation letter, No. 205\/DJ\/V\/2000 and dated May 2,
\n2000, was sent to the minister of communications on Tuesday
\nmorning.<\/p>\n
Minister of Communications Agum Gumelar has yet to officially
\napprove Santo's request, but said he respected his subordinate's
\ndecision.<\/p>\n
\"I may also follow him (to request retirement). But it will
\ndepend on the President's judgment of my performance.\"<\/p>\n
Santo, a retired Army major general, said there were a myriad
\nof problems behind the train disasters, including the recent
\neconomic crisis, which might have affected the poor performance
\nof the railway company.<\/p>\n
\"I am responsible for the accidents. This is my moral
\nresponsibility to the people,\" he told reporters at the Ministry
\nof Communications.<\/p>\n
\"Technically the causes of the crash could be clearly
\nexplained, but morally I take accountability.\"<\/p>\n
He said he decided to resign after the latest accident in
\nSerpong, as seven accidents within three months was too much.<\/p>\n
\"People are suffering as a result of these accidents while the
\nrailway service was fully on my shoulders.<\/p>\n
\"I herewith also express my apology to the people,\" Santo
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
On April 18 four people were killed in a three-train collision
\nin Karawang, West Java. At least eight people were injured in the
\naccident.<\/p>\n
On April 28, more than 20 people were injured when a Jabotabek
\ncommuter train hit a Pakuan express train in South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Santo was appointed director general of land transportation on
\nApril 17, 1996 after heading the education and training
\ndepartment at the same ministry.<\/p>\n
Some people said they hoped that Santo's resignation could
\nbecome a valuable lesson for Indonesian government officials, who
\nare usually adamant about holding their posts despite ample
\nfailures.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, KAI national spokesman Gatot Wibowo dismissed
\nspeculation that the company's president director Edie Haryoto
\nhad also resigned.<\/p>\n
\"Up to this time, there is no information available saying
\nthat KAI's president director has resigned,\" he said in the West
\nJava capital of Bandung on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Private television channel ANteve quoted Agum on Tuesday
\nevening as saying that Edie had joined Santo in resigning from
\nhis post.<\/p>\n
Gatot said the company was now counting the losses caused by
\nthe accident. \"The losses are estimated at between Rp 2 billion
\nand Rp 3 billion,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Zainal Abidin said the company had set up a special team to
\ninvestigate the cause of the accident, comprising members of the
\ncompany's staff.<\/p>\n
\"We will investigate why the train dispatchers from both
\nstations dispatched the trains at the same time. But we are
\nwaiting to hear from the police, since the two men are still
\nbeing questioned by them,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Besides human error, defective equipment also contributed to
\nthe accident.<\/p>\n
\"Lightning struck our (CTC) system on Friday, meaning that the
\noperation center was not able to locate the position of trains
\nthroughout the city,\" he said, adding that the train drivers and
\ndispatchers were forced to use walkie-talkies and interstation
\ntelephones.<\/p>\n
Technically, the electricity from the lightning, which struck
\nthe company's 75-meter-high lightning rod, should have gone to
\nthe ground via the available cable.<\/p>\n
But the cable, part of which was apparently damaged, split the
\nelectricity flow to the panel of cables at the operation center,
\na technician at the center said.<\/p>\n
Another KAI official, Whosep Muktamar, said on Monday that the
\nrepair of the CTC would be completed on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
As of Tuesday, several company staff members were still busy
\nrepairing the burned devices on the third floor of the operation
\ncenter's building.<\/p>\n
A staff member, who requested anonymity, said the repair of
\nthe telephones could take one week. (25\/asa\/dja\/sur)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/travel-by-train-is-safe-official-1447893297",
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