Residents Demand Repairs to Damaged Railway Crossing Gate in Petamburan

Jakarta — Residents are urging authorities to repair the automatic railway crossing gate on Jalan Administrasi, Petamburan, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, without delay.

The damage to the automatic gate is considered extremely hazardous due to the high volume of vehicles passing through the area and the resulting accident risk. Syukron, 42, a local resident, expressed his hopes that repairs would be carried out quickly to prevent danger to motorists.

“I hope it gets fixed soon. This is dangerous because accidents happen frequently here; many people lack patience,” Syukron told Kompas.com during a visit to the location on Tuesday, 17 March 2026.

Similarly, Yadi, 38, an online motorcycle taxi driver who travels this route daily, expressed concern about the permanently raised crossing gate. He stated that the absence of a closed gate can mislead motorists, especially those in a hurry.

“When the gate stays up, people from a distance sometimes think the road is clear and drive straight through, even though a train is approaching,” Yadi said.

He emphasised that the gate must be replaced urgently, particularly because many vehicles travel through this narrow road.

“If possible, it should be fixed immediately; don’t wait until there’s another casualty before it gets fixed,” he added.

Previously, it was reported that the railway crossing gate on Jalan Administrasi, Petamburan, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, was damaged after being struck by a motorcycle.

Syukron revealed that the automatic gate was only recently installed by the Directorate General of Railways (DJKA) and PT KAI in February 2026.

“Yes, this was recently installed. Before that, there was no gate at this crossing. Well, there was a gate, but it was manual. It was a wooden gate that the crossing attendant would slide open and closed,” Syukron explained.

The automatic gate has only been operating for approximately one month, beginning in the run-up to this year’s Ramadan period.

Since its initial installation, residents have had doubts about the durability of the gate due to its materials and size.

“Initially, we were confused about whether this gate was strong enough because it doesn’t look like the typical large automatic railway crossing gates we usually see. It looks more like a residential complex gate, you know. It’s quite small,” he said.