DPR Commission V Urges Transport Minister to Integrate Railway Signals Following Bekasi Train Accident
Commission V of the DPR held a working meeting with the Minister of Transportation, Dudy Purwagandhi, to discuss budgets and several critical issues. During the meeting, the Chairman of Commission V, Lasarus, questioned the progress of signalling integration following the accident involving the Argo Bromo Anggrek and a Commuter Line (KRL) train at Bekasi Timur Station.
“There are interesting findings, and I have been receiving calls from various places, Mr Minister, regarding signalling integration. I hope this integration can be handled swiftly,” said Lasarus during the working meeting at the DPR complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Thursday (4/6/2026).
Lasarus urged that the integration of railway signalling be prioritised immediately. He suggested that if the Ministry of Transportation is unable to manage it, the authority should be transferred to PT KAI. “Whether this authority remains with the Ministry of Transportation or, if not, should be handed over to PT KAI. As we mentioned, there was a command from south to east, but the east did not command the train that collided with the subsequent train,” he stated.
Lasarus emphasised that the signalling issue has become a major focus as it was one of the most significant findings by the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) regarding the accident at Bekasi Timur Station. The PDIP politician noted that the signals cannot integrate because the procurement involves different products. “This was a KNKT finding that we discussed extensively. I have received information, Mr Minister, that the procurement of these signals involves varying technologies; there is Japanese equipment, Chinese equipment, and some produced by LEN itself, yet there are gaps in the LEN-produced signals,” he remarked.
He further suggested that the lack of clear separation between the operator and the regulator in the railway sector is a burden. “My advice, Mr Minister, rather than this becoming a burden, since operations are already underway, let us just let the railway company handle everything. It is very clear,” he added.
As previously reported, the Argo Bromo Anggrek train struck a KRL train at Bekasi Timur Station on Monday night (27/4). The incident resulted in 16 deaths and 90 injuries. During the accident, a Green SM taxi had stopped on the tracks near Bekasi Timur Station due to a short circuit and was subsequently hit by a KRL train travelling from Cikarang towards Jakarta. The KRL involved in the collision with the taxi came to a halt on the tracks, which led to it being struck by the Argo Bromo Anggrek train travelling from the direction of Jakarta.