Flash flooding paralyzes southern railway networks
Yuli Tri Suwarni and Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Bandung/Purwokerto
The southern railway services linking Jakarta and other cities in West, Central and East Java provinces via Cilacap (Central Java) were still paralyzed on Thursday, forcing all train services to be rerouted to the center and northern links via Yogyakarta and Cirebon.
Since Tuesday 12 districts in Cilacap regency, 7 districts in the regency of Kebumen and three districts in Banyumas have been inundated by flood waters.
On Tuesday a one-kilometer segment of railway track linking the two small towns of Kawunganten and Jeruklegi began subsiding. The situation had not improved by Thursday, when the track had subsided around one meter. Kawunganten and Jeruklegi are in two of the 12 districts that have suffered flooding in Cilacap regency.
The track in the same area subsided five years ago following a big flood, according to PT KAI records.
The cutting of the railway line has forced 20 trains to be rerouted to the center and northern routes.
This situation has brought about a serious logjam in railway traffic on the center and northern lines, delaying all trains by four hours until Thursday.
Six economy class trains from Bandung have been suspended. "Most of the passengers get off in Cilacap, where trains could not enter due to heavy flooding," said Akhmad Suyadi, spokesman for PT KAI at its Bandung office.
In Purwokerto, spokesman for PT KAI local office Supriyadi said that the local residents, whose houses were submerged by flood water, were helping railway company employees to shift the sinking track.
He said gravel and sand had been poured to fill the hole where the track was sinking.
"We have poured more than 600 cubic meters of gravel and sand," Supriyadi said.
Gatot Wibowo, spokesman for the state railway company PT KAI head office said on Thursday in Bandung that the soil between Kawunganten and Jeruklegi was very unstable.
"There are now 75 workers repairing the track. If the weather is good on Friday repair work can hopefully be finished on Saturday and the railway services will return to normal."