The Tragedy of the Level Crossing
“Safety remains our top priority.” In this country, that phrase was once again echoed by a taxi company, right in the midst of the deafening clash of metal, bringing a horrific tragedy.
It happened on Monday, 27 April 2026, around 20:52 WIB, when an electric taxi broke down on the tracks at the “level crossing” at KM 28+920 near Bekasi Timur Station. This was not a remote location, but the heart of the city. Busy roads, jammed vehicles, an urban rhythm that never sleeps.
At that very spot, an electric taxi—the VinFast VF e34—suddenly stalled completely on the rails. The electrical system failed, the wheels locked, and ironically, the vehicle could not be pushed manually like a conventional car. It transformed from a means of transport into a lifeless obstacle—still, rigid, and deadly.
The KRL train approaching from Jakarta had no choice but to slam into it. Then it stopped. In the interval that should have been a space for rescue, the Argo Bromo Anggrek train arrived from behind.
Trains do not recognise the phrase “please wait”. They move according to the laws of physics, not feelings. And when two laws collide—failed technology and unstoppable speed—what is destroyed is not just metal, but human lives.
The Argo Bromo locomotive pierced through the rear carriage of the KRL, right in the women’s carriage. The metal frames bent like an umbrella frame broken by a storm wind.
Screams mingled with the sound of snapping metal. The usual night in Bekasi turned into a space of mourning unprepared to contain the tragedy.
Initial reports mentioned several victims, then rose to around a dozen lives lost. Dozens more were injured, while thousands carried home trauma that will never be recorded in official reports.
And amid it all, there was one nearly absurd scene: the driver survived—or escaped from the car—then lit a cigarette. As if the major tragedy was just a commercial break in his life. The world may fall apart, but nicotine remains a personal priority.
Perhaps there we find the most honest metaphor for our safety system. Everyone knows there is danger, everyone pauses for a moment, but somehow still feels there is time to relax before the disaster truly arrives.
That is not all. This tragedy holds a more technical layer, and ironically, one quieter than the news coverage. The electric car did not simply “stall” in the conventional sense. It experienced a systemic shutdown—a self-protection mechanism.
In studies by Indonesia’s National Transport Safety Committee, as well as reports from transport safety agencies in the United States, this phenomenon has been noted: electromagnetic induction from electrified rails can disrupt the electronic systems of electric vehicles.
KRL tracks are not just iron bars. They are giant cables carrying currents up to thousands of amperes at around 1,500 volts DC. The generated magnetic field is invisible, silent, but strong enough to interfere with highly sensitive electronic systems—like those in modern electric cars.
The sensors, ECU, and Battery Management System of electric vehicles operate on very small signals. When a wild magnetic field intrudes, the system interprets it as a threat and takes an extreme measure: shutting down the entire system to prevent greater damage.
There, the tragedy finds its technical form. Not because the car ran out of power, but because it was too obedient to its internal safety protocols. It locked the wheels, cut the power, and made itself immovable. A fail-safe mechanism that, in this context, turned into a deadly trap.
This phenomenon is not a one-off story. Cases of electric vehicles stopping suddenly at electrified rail crossings have occurred several times, including with a Wuling Air EV in the Cilebut area in 2023.
Investigation results showed electromagnetic interference with the vehicle’s internal communication system. The car was not damaged, but its system chose to shut down. The problem: the rails never wait.
And here the irony piles up: we introduce future technology into past infrastructure. We cross sophisticated electric cars over rails that still share space with roads.
We hope smart sensors can save lives, yet the basic system itself still opens the door to disaster.