AHY on Proposal to Relocate Women's Carriage: Men and Women Are the Same, Neither Should Become Victims!

Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) has spoken out on the proposal to relocate women’s carriages to the middle of trains. The proposal was previously put forward by the Minister for Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA), Arifah Fauzi, in response to the fatal collision between the long-distance Argo Bromo train and a KRL at Bekasi Timur Station. Regarding the proposal, AHY stressed that the positions of women and men are equal. They, he said, must not become victims in any incidents. “Clearly, men and women are the same; no one should become a victim in any incident,” AHY told reporters at Bekasi General Hospital on Tuesday, 28 April 2026. AHY explained that public safety when using public transportation must be the top priority. Thus, everyone using public transportation should feel safe and comfortable. “So what we focus on is not women and men, but how to make the train transportation system and other public transportation systems safe, secure, providing a sense of safety and comfort,” he said. “And ‘safety first’ should not just be a slogan but something we can truly implement well,” AHY clarified. Previously reported, Minister for Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA) Arifah Fauzi proposed moving the women’s KRL carriage, originally at the end, to the middle of the train set. She made this suggestion in light of the collision between the long-distance Argo Bromo train and the KRL at Bekasi Timur Station. “But with this incident, we propose that if possible, the women’s carriage be placed in the middle. So the men’s at the ends, yes, front and back for men, so women in the middle like that. For now,” Arifah said to reporters at Bekasi General Hospital on Tuesday, 28 April 2026. Arifah herself admitted to having coordinated and directly asked PT KAI why the women’s carriage is placed at the front or back. The reason, she said, is to avoid competition. “Earlier, when we talked with KAI, why it’s placed at the very front or very back, so that there is no competition,” she explained.