Level Crossings a Source of Trouble, President Prabowo Takes Action
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - President Prabowo Subianto has taken direct action to address the problem of level crossings on railway lines that often become a source of traffic accidents.
Prabowo stated that level crossings have been an issue for decades and have yet to be resolved.
He highlighted the existence of these level crossings during his inspection of the accident involving the long-distance Argo Merbabu Anggrek train, which collided with a KRL Commuter Line train at Bekasi Timur Station in Bekasi City, West Java, on Tuesday (29/4/2026). “It has been decades now, let’s just resolve all of that,” said Prabowo.
The accident, which killed 15 female passengers, was indeed inseparable from the presence of the level crossing.
The electric vehicle was crossing the tracks via the level crossing but encountered an obstacle and became stuck in the middle of the line.
The level crossing near the station is indeed used by residents to cross to the main road.
As a result, the taxi was hit by the China-made KRL Commuter Line train, which had only been in operation for a few months.
Due to a disruption on the KRL line, officials instructed another KRL, a Japanese product that has been in use for years, to stop at Bekasi Timur Station.
Not long after, the Argo Merbabu Anggrek train rammed into that KRL, crushing it.
Prabowo stated that the government will conduct an investigation to uncover the truth of the incident. “But in general, we note that many of these railway crossings are not guarded, right?” said Prabowo.
During the inspection, Prabowo was accompanied by representatives from the Bekasi City Government and Director of PT KAI Bobby Rasyidin.
Prabowo said he received a request from the Bekasi City Government for the central government to build a flyover so that residents no longer have to cross the tracks via the dangerous level crossing.
The President understands that Bekasi City is very densely populated.
On the other hand, trains remain an important mode of public transportation. “We will address this soon; the Bekasi regional government has proposed building a flyover because Bekasi is also densely populated,” said Prabowo.