Surabaya Blackout Triggers Traffic Chaos and Railway Gate Failures

A power outage affecting several areas of Surabaya, East Java, from Thursday (18/6) to Friday (19/6) triggered traffic chaos across the city, with traffic lights failing and automatic railway crossing barriers becoming inoperative. Two railway crossings in Surabaya, JPL 1 Mayangkara and JPL 17 Jagir, were rendered non-functional due to the disruption in PLN’s electricity supply on Thursday. Mahendro Trang Bawono, Public Relations Manager of KAI Daop 8 Surabaya, stated that the company immediately took anticipatory measures once the automatic barrier system failed. ‘KAI Daop 8 Surabaya has anticipated this condition by deploying additional security personnel at the locations and manually installing STOP signs. We urge all road users to remain cautious, vigilant, and to prioritise train travel whether the crossing barriers are functioning or not,’ Mahendro said on Friday (19/6). Security officers were stationed at both crossings to manually direct traffic and ensure the safety of road users as trains passed. Mahendro confirmed that the electricity supply has since returned to normal and the barrier system is operational again.

The impact of the blackout extended to Surabaya’s traffic light network. On Friday, seven intersections experienced simultaneous signal failures. Abi Dwi Septianto, an officer from the Surabaya Transportation Agency’s Road Equipment Provision division, admitted that the situation overwhelmed his team. The seven affected intersections were ID 126 Balongsari - Tandes, ID 15 Pucang Anom - Pucang Anom Timur, ID 6 Diponegoro - Kartini, ID 11 Bubutan - Tembaan, ID 46 MERR - Kampus C, ID 124 Menganti - Driyorejo, and ID 125 Lakarsantri - Made. ‘We could only deploy generators to three locations due to limited personnel and equipment. The simultaneous blackout left us overwhelmed,’ Abi said. He added that his department had actually received prior notification from PLN about potential disruptions, but PLN did not specify which areas would be affected. ‘Only PLN North Surabaya contacted us. There was no certainty from PLN regarding the duration of the disruption,’ he stated.

Residents also felt the impact of the dead traffic lights. The intersection of Jalan Kenjeran, connecting Jalan Putro Agung and Jalan Kedung Cowek, was one of the worst-hit points and was widely discussed on social media on Thursday. Ali Topan, a resident of Bulak Rukem, Bulak District, who was caught in the congestion, recounted his experience. From 14:00 WIB, vehicle queues were already snaking along Jalan Kedung Cowek. ‘I thought the jam was due to normal traffic flow, but after checking, I realised the traffic light was dead. This caused chaotic traffic flow, from Jalan Kedung Cowek to Jalan Kenjeran,’ Ali said. The congestion was still ongoing when Ali attempted to return home at 17:10 WIB. A journey that normally takes only 10 minutes turned into nearly an hour. ‘I left my parents’ house at 17:10 WIB, and conditions from the Suramadu Bridge towards Surabaya were totally gridlocked. Besides the dead traffic light, there was also a broken-down truck,’ he explained.

Meanwhile, Dana Puspita Sari, Communication and TJSL Manager of PLN East Java Distribution Unit, stated that the company is still implementing load management. Dozens of residential and urban areas in Surabaya, Sidoarjo, and Gresik have been hit by rolling blackouts in recent days, including on Friday. PLN indicated the disruption was triggered by technical constraints at a power plant, causing a drop in electricity supply capacity to these regions. At least 19 locations were affected today. In Surabaya, blackouts hit Simo Kwagean, Kebraon, Kuwon, and Dukuh Kupang. In Sidoarjo, the Pepelegi Indah and Sekardangan areas were affected, while in Gresik, Kota Baru Driyorejo and Kartini were impacted. Dana confirmed the disruption in an official statement. ‘PLN is currently mobilising all resources to maintain the reliability of the electricity system following operational technical constraints at the power plant which caused a decrease in electricity supply capacity,’ Dana said. In response, PLN has implemented a load management scheme to prevent wider impacts, describing it as an effort to maintain overall system stability. ‘To maintain the stability and reliability of the electricity system, PLN is carrying out limited load management in several affected areas and continues to strive for the acceleration of the recovery of plant operating conditions so that electricity supply can return to normal,’ Dana stated. PLN has not yet detailed which plant experienced the disruption or provided a concrete recovery timeline. Dana only mentioned that the handling process is ongoing and involves cross-party coordination.