Bekasi East Tragedy and Urgent Alarm for Spatial Planning: KRL-KAJJ Track Separation Can No Longer Be Delayed

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Spatial planning along railway lines has come under scrutiny following the tragic accident involving a Long-Distance Train (KAJJ) and an Electric Rail Train (KRL) at Bekasi Timur Station on Monday night (27/08/2026). “Spatial planning along railway lines must be strengthened,” said Djoko Setijowarno, an academic from the Civil Engineering Programme at Unika Soegijapranata and Advisor to the Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI), to Kompas.com on Tuesday (28/04/2026). “Cross-sectoral coordination is needed to ensure that the railway environment remains safe and in accordance with its designated use,” he added. Level crossings in densely populated corridors must be eliminated. Djoko explained that with high train frequencies, the closure times for crossings would become longer, potentially causing vehicle queues. “With road user discipline still low, the risk of violations and accidents will continue to increase,” said Djoko. Therefore, according to Djoko, the construction of non-level crossings such as underpasses and overpasses needs to be prioritised based on risk. Djoko revealed that completing the Double-Double Track project from Jakarta to Cikarang is not only important for increasing capacity but also for safety. In the medium term, this concept needs to be expanded along with the development of KRL services to more distant areas. “Until the separation is fully realised, speed regulations and distances between trains must provide adequate safety margins. This will result in reduced rail capacity and the need to revise train schedules,” said Djoko. Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development (IPK) Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono highlighted the numerous unsafe level crossings for trains, in the wake of the KAJJ and Commuterline accident at Bekasi Timur Station on Monday night (27/04/2026). The General Chairman of the Democrat Party said he would conduct an investigation. “There are still quite a few level crossings, where the railway tracks also coincide with land transportation routes, meaning roads crossing the railway tracks. We will investigate,” said AHY while inspecting Bekasi Timur Station on Tuesday afternoon (28/04/2026). He also stated that every train crossing point must have guarding personnel.