Emergency brake not for fun: Railway company

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A packed electric commuter train plying Bogor-Jakarta stopped suddenly after passing Cawang Station, East Jakarta, on Wednesday at around 8:45 a.m.

State railway company PT KAI could not pinpoint a cause, but suspect that someone applied the emergency brake -- either accidentally or deliberately.

Dozens of standing passengers bumped into each other due to the jolt. After nearly 30 minutes, the passengers, most of whom were employees, started to complain.

"My boss will be angry as I am carrying the key to the store. If I'm late, other employees will be late too," groaned Santi, a 21-year-old attendant of an electronics shop in Mangga Dua, West Jakarta.

The incident caused the delay of nine other commuter trains.

"Since the interval between trains is only five minutes during peak hours in the morning, nine other trains were forced to wait," said Akhmad Sujadi, spokesman of the Greater Jakarta operational division of state railway company PT KAI, as quoted by Antara. "An electric commuter train needs half an hour before it can start again after its emergency brake is pulled."

The train continued its journey to Manggarai Station, South Jakarta, where passengers were transferred to another train.

Akhmad said that such an incident occurred almost every week.

"It could be that someone intentionally pulled it for fun, or a standing passenger, who was holding the brake, accidentally pulled it," he said.

Many of the emergency brakes in the carriages are not covered with glass boxes. "Many of the glass boxes have been broken and we haven't managed to replace them," he added.

Akhmad said PT KAI had failed to prevent such incidents due to the meager fines imposed. The existing regulation stipulates that someone who pulls the brake in a non-emergency situation can be fined between Rp 50,000 (US$5.44) and Rp 500,000. They can also be sued for damages.