Another Tragedy on the Railway Tracks Occurs...

JAKARTA — At Bekasi Timur Station on Monday night (27/4/2026), a collision between the KA Argo Bromo Anggrek and the KRL on the Jakarta–Cikarang route killed 16 people and injured 84 others. This incident reopens old memories, as similar events have occurred before. In December 2013, a KRL on the Serpong–Tanah Abang route crashed into a tanker truck at the Pondok Betung level crossing in Bintaro. Seven people died, including the train driver. Passengers panicked because not all doors opened. Some tried to break the windows, while others jostled to exit through the open doors. The investigation found that the level crossing gates closed late, the signals were suboptimal, and the driver’s view was obstructed. The uneven road surface also caused the truck to get stuck on the tracks. Further back, a larger tragedy occurred on 19 October 1987 at the same location. Two trains collided head-on. The hard impact pushed the carriages and crushed the locomotive. More than 156 people died. The incident was triggered by negligence and miscommunication between staff. The train was dispatched without full coordination, while the line was congested. Braking efforts were made, but the train only stopped after travelling about 200 metres. The tracks will soon be used by trains again. However, this event leaves the same legacy—that tragedies on the rails are not new and recur in nearly similar forms. PT KAI’s President Director Bobby Rasyidin stated that the incident began at a level crossing about 200 metres from the station.