Bekasi Timur railway accident described as a serious wake-up call for railway safety
Bekasi Timur station in Jakarta saw a collision between KA Argo Bromo Anggrek and the Commuter Line, an incident DPR Commission V member Zigo Rolanda described as a serious wake-up call for railway safety, necessitating improvements to the operational system of rail transport.
‘The incident shows there are still fundamental weaknesses in Indonesia’s railway operational system,’ Zigo said in a written statement from Jakarta on Friday. He added that the incident indicates that the issue of railway safety at the national level is already at a serious and complex level.
He explained that the accident began with a vehicle stalled at an unofficial level crossing. However, the initial disruption evolved into a major accident due to weak integration of the operational system and communications between train dispatchers. He also assessed that the incident was not only influenced by technical journey factors but also indicates layered weaknesses in the national railway operational system. ‘From timetable management, mixed operation between KAJJ (Long-Distance Trains) and KRL, signalling system, central control communications, track congestion, noncompliance with GAPEKA, to emergency mitigation and field security,’ Zigo said. ‘Of those, about 80 per cent occurred at crossings that are not guarded,’ he added.
He stated that this condition shows level crossing safety remains a major challenge requiring cross-sector handling comprehensively and sustainably.
Nevertheless, he appreciated the swift steps taken by the Directorate General of Railways and PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) in addressing the issue. The measures include speed restrictions, evaluation of signalling systems, safety audits, closure of illegal crossings, and improvements to safety at 1,638 priority points. Additionally, Zigo noted that the government plans to install ATP/SKKO as an initial mitigation measure to enhance national railway operational safety.
He believes that the challenges ahead remain considerable and require safety improvements not only focused on national roads but also encompassing provincial and regency and city roads, which have far more crossings, most of which still lack adequate safety systems.
‘There is a need to strengthen the integration of the operational system, safety oversight, and the acceleration of flyover construction and other supporting infrastructure to ensure that similar accidents do not recur,’ Zigo said.