Bekasi Accident: Safety Factors at Level Crossings Must Be Strengthened Again
The Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI) is pushing for the strengthening of the 3E principles (engineering, enforcement, and education) for safety at level crossings.
This is in connection with the train accident involving a long-distance train and the KRL Commuter Line at Bekasi Timur Station in West Java, which occurred on Monday night, 27 April 2026.
MTI Advisory Board member Djoko Setijowarno stated that although the exact cause is still awaiting the results of the official investigation by the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT), the series of events indicates that this incident is related to an accident at a level crossing.
According to him, level crossing accidents fall into the category of land accidents. When discussing accidents, the anticipation involves the 3E principles: education, engineering, and enforcement as general guidelines.
“With an accident like this happening, people wouldn’t imagine the impact would be this far-reaching? It seems as if the level crossing accident is a separate incident,” said Djoko, quoted from Antara on Tuesday, 28 April 2026.
“However, it turns out that this reinforces that if there is a problem or accident at a railway level crossing, the impact can also cause a train accident. This is the first time such a tragic event has occurred in Indonesia. The KNKT investigation might reveal more later,” he added.
Therefore, Djoko said that this event could serve as a momentum to strengthen the 3E principles in order to improve safety at level crossings.
According to him, in addition to strengthening enforcement or law enforcement, traffic safety education, particularly safety education at railway level crossings, also needs to be intensified for the public from an early age.
“All stakeholders, including the public, need to collaborate and synergise to build collective awareness in order to resolve safety at level crossings,” he stated.
For information, PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) or PT KAI has ensured that all victims affected by the incident in the Bekasi Timur Station area have been evacuated and received medical treatment, and an information post has been prepared to help families obtain passenger updates.
KAI stated that all 240 passengers of the Argo Bromo Anggrek train have been successfully evacuated in safe condition. Meanwhile, handling is focused on the affected KRL passengers. Based on preliminary data updates, as of 08:45 WIB, 14 people have been recorded as deceased and 84 people injured.