Nicknamed 'King of the Northern Route': Unveiling the Speed and Special Features of the Argo Bromo Anggrek Train
VIVA – The train accident tragedy at the platform of Bekasi Timur Station on Monday night, 27 April 2026, still leaves deep sorrow. The incident involving the KRL Commuter Line Cikarang Line and KA Argo Bromo Anggrek was reported to have killed 16 people by Wednesday, 29 April 2026.
Initial suspicions regarding the cause of the accident are beginning to emerge. One of them comes from the testimony of the assistant driver of KA Argo Bromo Anggrek, who mentioned irregularities in the signal system before the collision occurred. In a video circulating on social media, he revealed a communication disruption and possible signal error.
“Miss communication, it seems the signal had an error earlier,” said the Assistant Driver of KA Argo Bromo Anggrek.
He also mentioned that the signal change to red occurred in an unusual manner. However, according to normal procedures, the signal should not suddenly change drastically from green to red.
In that condition, KA Argo Bromo Anggrek was known to be travelling at high speed, around 110 km per hour, thus unable to perform maximum braking before finally colliding with the stationary KRL on the track.
“The speed was quite high, 110 km/hour,” he added.
This incident began with a previous accident, when another KRL hit a Green SM electric taxi at a level crossing in the Bulak Kapal area. As a result, the KRL journey was disrupted and stopped on the track, before being rear-ended by KA Argo Bromo Anggrek.
The investigation process is still ongoing to uncover the exact cause of the accident.
Getting to Know KA Argo Bromo Anggrek, the “King of the Northern Route”
Behind the incident, KA Argo Bromo Anggrek is no ordinary train. This train is known as one of PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI)’s premium services connecting Jakarta and Surabaya via the northern route of Java Island.
The train serves the route from Gambir Station to Surabaya Pasar Turi Station, covering a distance of about 720 kilometres. Interestingly, its travel time is considered very fast for a conventional train, namely around 7 hours 45 minutes to 8 hours.
It is this speed that earns KA Argo Bromo Anggrek the nickname as one of the fastest trains on the northern route. In its operations, the maximum speed of this train can reach 120 km per hour, and even with some technological developments, it is said to be capable of travelling higher with good stability.