Better safety for Jakarta's trains

The state-owned railway company is replacing the hand-operated signal points at major railway stations in the greater Jakarta area with computerized signal systems in order to improve operational safety.

Bambang Walujodjati, a spokesman for Perumka, said yesterday the company is now upgrading the systems at the Jatinegara and Cipinang stations, both in East Jakarta, as part of the Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi (Jabotabek) railway betterment project, which began in 1991.

The project, which includes repair of 117 kilometers of tracks and bridges, a number of railway stations and their communication systems, costs Rp 140 billion.

Bambang said the upgrading of the switching and traffic signals is carried out by a joint venture of three foreign companies and PT Guna Elektro, a Jakarta-based private-sector firm.

Bambang said the automation of railway signals at the Cikampek, Gambir and Manggarai railway stations had already been done and similar replacement work will begin soon at the Bekasi and Kota railways stations.

Perumka has been using hand-operated signal points since the Dutch colonial period.

"The new system is more sophisticated and secure compared to the old one which is operated manually," Bambang said.

Jakarta has recorded several major train accidents in the past few years, including the 1987 train crash in Bintaro, South Jakarta, in which 136 people died, and the 1993 in Citayam, West Java, which killed 23 people.

Following the Citayam accident, the public threw a barrage of scathing criticism at the government and demanded that incumbent Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto resign, arguing the minister was responsible for the danger in train operations. (09)

'The Commodores' on stage here

The Commodores, a United States-based group popular here in the 1980s, is scheduled to perform here today to Friday.

William King, Walter Orange and JD Nicholas will appear today at the Concert Hall 21 of the Ratu Plaza, Jl. Jend. Sudirman, South Jakarta.

On Thursday they will perform at the News Cafe on Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said, Kuningan, South Jakarta and the Friday show is planned to be held at the Golden Ballroom of the Jakarta Hilton International Hotel, Jl. Gatot Subroto, Central Jakarta.

The organizers include Buena Production and Rios Enterprise. (anr)