Police Investigate Voice Logger and Signalling System in Bekasi Train Crash Probe

Police are still investigating the fatal accident between the Argo Bromo Anggrek train and a KRL at Bekasi Timur Station. The investigation also relates to information indicating a 30-minute gap between the incident involving the Green SM electric taxi being hit by a KRL and the collision between the KRL and the Argo Bromo Anggrek train. “This 30-minute period is still being examined by the Forensic Laboratory Centre, including railway operations,” said the Head of Public Relations of Metro Jaya Police, Kombes Budi Hermanto, at Metro Jaya Police Headquarters on Friday (8/5). Budi explained that they have requested statements from the Head of Operations Control of Regional Operations 1 regarding railway operations on the day of the incident. This examination aims to clarify the sequence of the tragic events. “From the beginning of the incident until the collision between the electric train and the online taxi. After that, an electric train was queuing because of the accident and was then collided with by the Argo Bromo Anggrek train,” he said. Budi stated that they are also investigating the early warning system or early warning mechanism, as well as the voice logger in the fatal incident, from PT Kereta Api Indonesia. For information, a voice logger is a digital voice recording system to record all communications between operational staff, drivers, and the operations control centre (Pusdalops) in real time. “This is still being examined whether it relates to the early warning system or voice logger or the information provided by the tower supervisor to the Argo Bromo train, whether it had received information that there was a train ahead that had an accident and was stopped. There are two trains, one that had the accident and one that stopped. This is still under investigation,” Budi explained. In addition, Budi continued, they are also investigating the signals that regulate train movements. This is because a witness stated that at the time of the incident, there was already a green signal for the Argo Bromo Anggrek train to proceed. “This is also still being examined regarding the green signal. A witness gave a green signal to the Argo Bromo Anggrek train number 4B passing through the Tambun area. This is also still being investigated by the Forensic Laboratory Centre, investigators, and the National Transportation Safety Committee,” he said. The accident involving the Argo Bromo Anggrek train and the KRL Commuter Line at Bekasi Timur Station occurred on Monday night (27/4). This incident resulted in 16 people dead and 90 others injured. The incident was triggered by the Green SM taxi breaking down in the middle of a level crossing due to an electrical system failure. The vehicle was then hit by a passing KRL. As a result of the first accident, one KRL train bound for Cikarang made an emergency stop at Bekasi Timur Station. In that stopped position, the KRL train was then hit from behind by the Argo Bromo Anggrek train, causing the women’s carriage at the rear to be crushed and claiming more than a dozen lives.