Another train accident

Scores of lives were once again lost in a railway accident on Sunday, and this time it was a real irony because the mishap occurred at a railway station -- the Kejaksan Railway Station in Cirebon, West Java. The public has a right to be critical about the accident because it was reportedly the worst train accident since 1998. Two factors that are often blamed for such accidents are human error and the railway company's ancient material, which date from the old colonial days.

The phrase 'human error' is an euphemism used to soften the blame placed on the engineer. To mention the old age of the company's material, however, is appropriate: much of the equipment no longer functions because of old age, or because they are stolen or were bought in disregard of prescribed specifications due to corruption.

With all its assets and facilities, the railway company PT Kereta Api should be able to develop better services for the public. It is time that the government revamp this state-owned company to turn it into a public transportation company capable of providing a service that is safe, comfortable and affordable.

Admittedly, the company's task is not an easy one. Apart from the fact that must be commercially profitable, PT Kereta Api must also provide a means of mass transportation that people in the lower-income brackets of society can afford to use.

One absolute requirement that PT KA must meet for the present, however, is to uphold regulations and enforce discipline, especially among non-paying passengers and the company's own personnel, because it is laxness in these areas that are causing the current decay among its ranks.

-- Bisnis Indonesia, Jakarta