Police Chief: Train Accident Caused by Container Body Left on Railway Tracks

Tangerang — A traffic accident between a train on the Manggarai–Soekarno-Hatta Airport route and a container truck at the railway level crossing near Poris Station in Tangerang City was caused by the container body being left on the tracks as the train passed.

Tangerang City Metro Police Chief Senior Commissioner Raden Muhammad Jauhari said in Tangerang on Friday that the incident occurred on Friday (20 February) at 06.05 local time, when a container truck travelling from Cipondoh towards Daan Mogot attempted to cross the railway level crossing in the Poris Station area.

As the truck crossed, the cab had already cleared the tracks. However, the container body remained on the railway lines. At the same time, a train departing from Manggarai heading for Soekarno-Hatta Airport was approaching the crossing.

The truck driver is suspected of having been unable to accelerate sufficiently to fully clear the tracks. As a result, the container body was left on the rails as the train passed.

“The train, unable to stop suddenly, struck the container body. The force of the impact dragged the container approximately 100 metres from the point of collision,” he said.

Police officers and relevant authorities immediately attended the scene to carry out evacuation operations and manage traffic flow around the crossing.

An investigation is continuing to determine the precise cause of the accident and to confirm whether there were any casualties.

“There have been no fatalities and all passengers have been evacuated. Joint personnel are currently managing traffic diversions and vehicle recovery,” he said.