Indonesian Engineers Association's Hopes Regarding the Bekasi Train Tragedy
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Engineers Association (PII) hopes the government will use the train collision tragedy in Bekasi, West Java, on Monday (27/4), as a momentum for evaluation.
“We hope that the authorities responsible for railway transport management will use this accident as a momentum to conduct a comprehensive evaluation, both in terms of management systems and technology, so that this incident does not happen again,” said PII General Chairman Ilham Akbar Habibie in a statement in Jakarta on Tuesday.
In addition, Ilham invited all parties to await the results of the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) investigation regarding the factors causing the tragedy.
In line with Ilham, the Chairman of the PII Railway Engineering Professional Board, Hermanto Dwiatmoko, said the incident must serve as a major evaluation for the government by conducting technical and non-technical investigations.
Meanwhile, he said there are several things that relevant stakeholders, such as KNKT and PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) (Persero), can do in taking post-tragedy policies.
First, the gradual implementation of automatic train protection (ATP) technology on railway lines and all fleets, both locomotives, electric rail trains (KRL), and diesel rail trains (KRD).
This technology is crucial to prevent collisions by automatically braking if there is a signal violation or speed limit breach.
Third, improvement of human resource competencies. This means operators must conduct refresher and competency enhancement for train drivers periodically to ensure readiness in facing emergency situations on the tracks.
Fourth, regulatory compliance without tolerance. All railway operators must carry out operations in accordance with regulations, from Law Number 23 of 2007 on Railways to Law Number 22 of 2009 on Road Traffic and Transportation, and related derivative regulations.
Finally, post-incident technical verification. Before the affected track is fully operational again, a re-checking of railway infrastructure, platforms, and track geometry dimensions is needed, including checking the fitness of the involved facilities.
The chronology of the tragedy that occurred on 27 April 2025 is suspected to have started with KRL code 5181 hitting a taxi at a railway crossing near Bulak Kapal, Bekasi.
As a result, KRL code 5568 heading to Cikarang stopped at Bekasi Timur Station. However, the long-distance Argo Bromo Anggrek train from Jakarta to Surabaya collided with the KRL, penetrating several carriages.
Metro Jaya Police revealed that by Tuesday (28/4) afternoon, 15 people had died as a result of the incident.
In addition, the President has approved the construction of an elevated road in Bekasi to prevent the recurrence of railway crossing accidents.