KAI Reports Railway System Vandalism Incident to Police

Tangerang (ANTARA) - PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) Daerah Operasi 1 Jakarta has taken legal action regarding an act of vandalism involving the theft of counting head cables at the Commuter Line crossing in Daru-Parung Panjang station on Friday (8/5). “That’s correct, we will report it to the authorities (Police),” said Manager of Public Relations for KAI Daop 1 Jakarta, Franoto Wibowo, to ANTARA in Tangerang on Friday. He stated that this legal action is in accordance with Article 197 of Law No. 23 of 2007 concerning criminal acts of removing, damaging, and/or performing actions that result in the non-functioning of railway infrastructure, punishable by imprisonment of up to three years. “For follow-up, please inquire with the relevant police,” he said. He mentioned that due to the theft, Commuter Line operations experienced disruptions in the train journey detection system on both upstream and downstream tracks on Friday (8/5) early morning. “After inspection by officers, it was found that there was theft of counting head axle counter cables by unknown persons at Km 50+5/6 on the Daru-Parungpanjang line,” he explained. He said the initial report was received on Friday around 01:38 WIB from the Daru Station PPKA regarding disruptions to several track circuits on both upstream and downstream tracks. Subsequently, they conducted a search and found three locations of theft affecting a total of six zones of axle counter devices. These devices are a crucial part of the train journey safety system as they function to detect the presence of train sets on the tracks. “KAI Daop 1 immediately carried out repairs by deploying a technical team to repair and replace the missing devices,” he said. Meanwhile, VP Corporate Secretary of KAI Commuter, Karina Amanda, added that Commuter Line activities at Daru Station to Parung Panjang Station experienced technical disruptions. Due to this theft, the automatic railway signalling system on that line was disrupted, as the cables or devices are vital infrastructure facilities for train operations. “At this time, our relevant officers are already at the location to carry out repairs and replacement of the stolen cables,” she said. She noted that until 09:00 WIB, six Rangkasbitung Commuter Line trips experienced delays of between 14 and 24 minutes due to the manual journey scheduling. Acts of vandalism against railway devices not only harm the company but also potentially endanger the safety of train journeys and the public. For the sake of collective safety and security, KAI Commuter urges all parties to maintain public railway facilities. “KAI Commuter apologises for the delays in Rangkasbitung Commuter Line trips this morning due to vandalism by irresponsible parties,” she said.