REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, YOGYAKARTA - On Monday evening, 27 April 2026, at\n20:52 WIB, thousands of residents from Jakarta and its surroundings were\non their way home after a long day. Among them, hundreds of passengers\non the KRL Commuter Line bound for Cikarang were stopped at Bekasi Timur\nStation, waiting for the track ahead to clear.<\/p>\n
Suddenly, from behind, the KA Argo Bromo Anggrek train, travelling at\naround 110 kilometres per hour, slammed into the KRL train with great\nforce. The carriage that bore the brunt of the impact was the rearmost\none, the dedicated women\u2019s carriage.<\/p>\n
The long-distance train\u2019s locomotive ploughed in, shattering iron and\nsteel into a pile of debris. By the next day, 15 people had been\nrecorded as fatalities, and 88 injured individuals were receiving\ntreatment at various hospitals.<\/p>\n
Inside the pink-coloured carriage, introduced in 2010, all the\npassengers were women going about their simplest daily routine: heading\nhome from work. There were office workers, teachers, media employees,\nwomen, and mothers on their way back to their homes and families.<\/p>\n
The women\u2019s-only carriage, designed to protect women, particularly\nfrom harassment and discomfort in crowded public transport, became the\ncarriage that suffered the most in the disaster that night. Last week in\nthis column, I shared an article about Kartini and the struggle of\nwomen; today, that struggle feels very real and very painful.<\/p>\n
Initial investigations revealed that this accident did not stem from\na single point. There was a chain of interconnected events that caused\nthe tragedy. An electric taxi experienced a short circuit and broke down\nin the middle of the level crossing on Jalan Ampera, not far from Bekasi\nTimur Station. The crossing had no automatic barriers and no KAI staff\non duty.<\/p>\n
The stalled taxi was then hit by the KRL from the Cikarang direction,\ncausing another KRL from the Jakarta direction to stop at Bekasi Timur\nStation to wait for a clear signal. It was at that moment that the KA\nArgo Bromo Anggrek, speeding from behind, crashed into the stationary\nKRL waiting for the signal.<\/p>\n
Was the signal not read by the KA Argo Bromo Anggrek, or was there\nanother cause? The Bekasi Timur tragedy offers many lessons, from level\ncrossings that are minimally guarded, to drivers who cross recklessly,\nto a signalling system that is not yet fully reliable.<\/p>\n
Various analyses have emerged in the media, with causes generally\ndivided into two: human negligence and technological reliability. A\ncombination of errors on both sides can lead to fatal accidents.<\/p>\n
It cannot be denied that some road users take railway crossing\nbarriers lightly. Like one reckless decision by a driver that night,\nwhich became the domino trigger that claimed the lives of innocent\npeople. Similarly, on the technological side, the need for audits and\nongoing updates to the signalling system must not stop. These two\naspects must continue to receive attention, and this is an important\ntask, especially in the academic environment.<\/p>\n
This phenomenon is actually not unfamiliar in the environment of\nUniversitas Amikom Yogyakarta. An open coworking space has just been\nintroduced as a space for collaboration and creativity for the entire\nacademic community.<\/p>\n
A facility that is well-designed, with good intentions. However, in\nits first days of use, a distressing sight emerged: cigarette butts\nscattered in the corners of the open space, left behind by academics who\nsmoked carelessly. Additions and improvements to infrastructure continue\nto be introduced, but user behaviour has not fully kept pace.<\/p>\n
Technological advancement and behavioural advancement are two wheels\nthat must turn together. No matter how sophisticated the train\nsignalling system is, mitigation and renewal must be continuously\nmaintained. Likewise, every technology remains vulnerable if the humans\naround it act recklessly.<\/p>\n
This is where universities must carry out one of their most\nfundamental responsibilities. In addition to producing technically\ncompetent graduates, universities must also shape individuals who have\nawareness and responsibility towards their surroundings.<\/p>\n
May the victims of the Bekasi Timur tragedy find peace, and may the\nfamilies left behind be granted strength. From this heartbreaking event,\nwe are invited not only to continue developing technology, but also to\nlook inward: have we become responsible users of the shared spaces and\nsystems?<\/p>\n
Allah SWT says: \u201cAnd do not cause corruption on the earth after it\nhas been set in order. And invoke Him in fear and aspiration. Indeed,\nthe mercy of Allah is near to the doers of good.\u201d (QS. Al-A\u2019raf:\n56).<\/p>\n
Guarding railway crossings, keeping cigarette butts from littering,\nmaintaining shared spaces to remain suitable for all, are small forms of\nthe responsibility that Allah has entrusted to us as inhabitants of the\nearth.<\/p>\n
Wallahu A\u2019lam<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/unread-signals-1777445556", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }