Police Say Brimob Car vs Train Crash Site in Bantul Lacked Operational Automatic Crossing Gate
Police have confirmed that a Brimob (Mobile Brigade Corps) official vehicle was sideswiped by a train at the Tapen railway crossing in Argosari, Sedayu, Bantul. The cause is suspected to be the lack of a functioning automatic crossing gate.
“It is true that a traffic accident occurred involving a Brimob Isuzu vehicle which was sideswiped by a train at the Tapen crossing gate in Argosari, Sedayu, on Thursday morning at around 08.15 WIB,” said Bantul Police Head of Public Relations, Iptu Rita Hidayanto, to reporters on Thursday (23/7/2026).
The official Brimob vehicle was an Isuzu with registration number 17416-XX IV. The driver was Bripka Yudi Saputro (39), accompanied by his passenger, Bripda Tommy Priambada (31).
The incident began when the Brimob official vehicle was about to cross the railway line from the south. However, upon arriving at the location, the driver allegedly failed to pay sufficient attention to the track situation and did not notice the Airport Train, driven by engineer Asrul, approaching from the north.
“Upon reaching the crossing gate, the driver did not notice the Airport Train about to pass from the north. Because the distance was already close, the train sideswiped the front bonnet of the car,” she stated.
Furthermore, Rita revealed that the railway crossing in Tapen Hamlet was not yet equipped with an automatic gate system and had no guard on duty. Although a crossing post building has already been erected at the site, the safety facilities are only scheduled to officially begin operations next month.
“At the scene, the railway crossing gate was indeed not yet automatic and there was no guard, although the crossing post has been built. The facilities are planned to start operating in August 2026,” she said.
Consequently, Rita stated that the cause of the incident at the Tapen crossing was the automatic gate not yet functioning optimally.
“Therefore, it is suspected that the accident occurred because the automatic gate system at the crossing was not yet operational, so the crossing safety measures were not functioning optimally,” she explained.
Besides the non-operational automatic gate, police assessed that the driver’s lack of vigilance when about to cross the tracks was the primary cause of the incident.
As a result of being hit by the train, the front of the car sustained damage. Rita confirmed that both the driver and the passenger inside the vehicle were safe.
Meanwhile, Arif Fatimah, the Jogoboyo or head of security, public order, and community tranquillity for Argosari Village, stated that the crossing gate was not yet operational as it was still in the finalisation stage. The automatic gate is scheduled to be activated on 1 August.
“The crossing has been fitted with a gate but it is not yet operational; the post is still new and in the construction and installation phase. It is set to be activated on 1 August 2026,” he said when contacted.