Prabowo Allocates Rp 4 Trillion to Improve Level Crossings
President Prabowo Subianto has spotlighted the issue of level crossings on Java island. According to Prabowo, the abundance of unguarded railway and road crossings is one reason why train accidents continue to occur.
Prabowo expressed this view following a train accident in Bekasi, West Java, between a KRL Commuter Line and the KA Argo Bromo Anggrek. The Gerindra Party chairman aims to prevent similar incidents from recurring.
According to Prabowo, there are around 1,800 level crossing points on Java that need improvement. He stated that these crossings have not been repaired since the Dutch colonial era.
“We will resolve all of that; I have already ordered it, we will fix those crossings, whether with guard posts or flyovers,” he said while visiting the victims of the accident at Chasbullah Abdulmadjid General Hospital (RSUD) in Bekasi City, West Java, on Tuesday morning, 28 April 2026, quoted from the Presidential Secretariat’s statement.
Prabowo said he would soon appoint a special executor as the person in charge of the project. He will also prepare a budget of around Rp 4 trillion for these improvements. “For safety. We really need and require trains, so this must be done,” said the former Defence Minister.
The Bekasi train accident began when the KRL train was stopped on track 1 at Bekasi Timur Station. The train stopped due to a disruption because ahead of them from the opposite direction, there was a collision between a train and a taxi.
Shortly afterwards, the KA Argo Bromo Anggrek was seen speeding from behind and directly slamming into the body of that train. The collision caused the body of the Commuter Line train in the women’s carriage to crumple.
The number of victims in the collision between the Argo Bromo Anggrek train on the Gambir–Surabaya Pasar Turi route and the Commuter Line or Electric Rail Train (KRL) on the Kampung Bandan-Cikarang route continues to increase. The incident occurred right at Bekasi Timur Station, Bekasi City, on Monday, 27 April 2026, around 20:57 WIB.
PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) or PT KAI President Director Bobby Rasyidin stated that the number of fatalities from the accident has increased to 14 people. “The deceased victims have been taken to Kramat Jati Police Hospital for further identification,” Bobby said in his statement on Tuesday, 28 April 2026.
Meanwhile, the number of lightly and seriously injured victims has also increased to 84 people. All victims have been evacuated to nearby health facilities for further medical treatment.
All deceased and injured victims are known to be passengers from the KRL train. Meanwhile, the 240 passengers of the KA Argo Bromo Anggrek were all successfully evacuated in safe condition.