Eyewitness Accounts Before Train Collision, Starting from a Breakdown Taxi
Residents near Bekasi Timur Station have recounted the moments leading up to the collision involving the long-distance Argo Bromo train and a KRL commuter train on Monday night (27/4).
One eyewitness, Fiqri (20), who lives nearby, said the incident began when an electric Green SM taxi became stuck on the tracks towards Jakarta. “So from lane one, there was an accident first with the green taxi; the driver said it broke down. It was hit,” he stated when met at the location on Tuesday (28/4).
Meanwhile, a KRL heading from Jakarta to Cikarang was dropping off passengers. He said the KRL was stationary at Bekasi Timur Station platform while waiting for the electric taxi evacuation to be completed.
Shortly after, Fiqri noted, on the same track, the long-distance Argo Bromo Anggrek train arrived and directly struck the rear of the KRL.
Another eyewitness, a parking attendant near Bekasi Timur Station, said he heard the loud screech of brakes from his home. He then heard a massive bang.
Initially, he thought the sound was from a train derailing off the tracks. But upon checking, the bang was from the collision between the Argo Bromo Anggrek train and the KRL at the station platform.
“It braked (the Argo Bromo) but didn’t stop in time. The braking sound made me think the train had derailed; it turned out to be a collision,” he said.
He noted that the loud crash sound immediately drew nearby residents to the scene. There, the Argo Bromo Anggrek locomotive was seen having ploughed into the KRL carriage.
Based on official statements from the Ministry of Transportation, the incident began when the KRL train on the Bekasi-Cikarang route was obstructed by a vehicle at the JPL 85 level crossing.
As a result, the KRL train had to be evacuated and designated as an Extraordinary Journey (PLB) with code 5181, as it stopped and operated outside the regular schedule.
Due to the incident, officers halted another KRL train with code PLB 5568 heading to Cikarang at the Bekasi Timur Station platform.
However, the Argo Bromo Anggrek (Train 4) on the Jakarta-Surabaya route did not fully stop in time, leading to the collision with the stationary PLB 5568 train.
Green SM Indonesia, the taxi company, responded to the incident that started with their vehicle breaking down. In a statement on Instagram @id.greensm, the electric taxi company expressed full attention and support for the police process.
“We have provided relevant information to the authorities and fully support the ongoing investigation process,” read the official statement from Green SM Indonesia.