Parliament Urges KAI to Improve Rail Infrastructure Systems and Operational Procedures

Jakarta – Deputy Chairman of Commission V of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), Syaiful Huda, has highlighted issues with train signalling, where the Argo Bromo Anggrek train that collided with a KRL in Bekasi, West Java, should have slowed down or stopped its journey when there was a disruption involving another train on its line. He questioned whether the problem was a technical signalling issue or human negligence. According to him, after the KRL was involved in an incident with a “green taxi”, other KRLs could stop their journeys, yet they were ultimately hit by the long-distance train. “The question is, why didn’t the Argo Bromo Anggrek stop its journey?” Syaiful said in his statement in Jakarta on Tuesday, 28 April 2026. He stated that the incident was highly concerning because long-distance and commuter trains have become the backbone of public transportation at present. In addition, Syaiful said, the state has made significant investments to continuously develop infrastructure, signalling technology, and operational procedures for train journeys. Nevertheless, he is still awaiting the official investigation from the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) regarding the trigger for the fatal accident. He said that if the KNKT investigation finds that the Argo Bromo Anggrek driver felt pressured due to time constraints, there must be improvements in time management to avoid excessively pressuring drivers and neglecting safety. However, Syaiful added, if the investigation results show signalling problems, there must be a precise signalling revolution. “If the investigation results indicate that an unguarded level crossing was the trigger, there must be fundamental improvements related to infrastructure,” he said. According to him, train accidents in advanced countries, although rare, have occurred. However, those accidents triggered revolutions in safety standards to minimise the potential for future accidents. “We hope that the Argo Bromo Anggrek and Commuter Line accident will also become a turning point in formulating better safety standards for PT KAI going forward,” he said. On the other hand, he also assessed that public compliance in prioritising train journeys remains relatively low. At present, he said, many people still recklessly cross boom gates at level crossings even though there are signals indicating an approaching train.