Another train accident

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