Behind the Bekasi Train Tragedy, Emergency SOPs Deemed More Crucial than Carriage Layout

The Head of Public Communications for KRL Mania, Gusti, believes that standard operating procedures (SOPs) and safety infrastructure are far more crucial than simply adjusting the position of carriages in the train formation.

“What is more important is actually how the safety infrastructure works and also how the SOPs are handled in the event of such an incident,” Gusti said when contacted by Kompas.com on Tuesday (29/4/2026).

Gusti added that proposals regarding changes to carriage positions, including those put forward by the Minister for Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA) Arifah Fauzi, are essentially valid as part of attention to certain groups.

According to Gusti, in every accident incident, victims cannot be separated by gender because all passengers face the same risks.

“Victims do not distinguish between men or women; everyone can become a victim. So it’s somewhat inappropriate if the focus is on gender,” he said.

Previously, the PPPA Minister, Arifah Fauzi, proposed moving the position of the special women’s carriage on the KRL Commuter Line to the middle of the formation.

According to her, referring to the incident, the front and rear end positions of the train formation are considered more risky in the event of an accident.

Therefore, she proposed that those parts should be filled by general passengers or men to minimise fatalities among vulnerable groups.

“So men at the ends. The front and back should be men, so women in the middle,” said Arifah Fauzi.

The collision occurred between the Cikarang-bound KRL number PLB 5568A and the KA Argo Bromo Anggrek on the Gambir-Surabaya Pasar Turi route around 20:52 WIB on Monday night.

The incident site was at the platform of Bekasi Timur Station KM 28+920.

The victims are currently receiving treatment at several health facilities, including RSUD Bekasi, RS Bella Bekasi, RS Primaya, RS Mitra Plumbon Cibitung, RS Bakti Kartini, RS Siloam Bekasi Timur, RS Hermina, as well as RS Mitra Keluarga Bekasi Timur and Barat.

Meanwhile, 240 passengers from the KA Argo Bromo Anggrek were reported to be safe.