Thieves bring trains to a halt

Mulkta Fidrus, The Jakarta Post/Tangerang

Cable thieves have struck again. Six electric commuter trains plying the Serpong, Tangerang-Tanah Abang and Jakarta routes were brought to a halt on Thursday thanks to dare-devil thieves who cut and stole the high voltage overhead cables linking Pondok Ranji and Tanah Kusir.

Train authorities suspended all operations of the trains leaving thousands of commuters stranded at Serpong Station in Tangerang, Banten.

"This is the second time that thieves have hit electric commuter trains this month," station head Suyatno said.

He said thieves cut and stole 100 meters of high voltage cables, making it impossible for the electric trains known as KRLs to operate.

Until late last night, authorities had yet to install new high voltage cables for the trains.

The KRL service -- consisting of three airconditioned and three non-airconditioned trains -- ferries up to 10,000 commuters to Jakarta every day.

Last Saturday, thieves stole 50 meters of high-voltage cable between the Sudimara Station in Jombang village and Serpong Station, Suyatno said.

"We believe the thieves are in the same gang. The cables carry high voltage of 1,500 and 2,500 volts. Such high charges can kill people," he said, adding that the thieves likely had a technical understanding of KRL's cable operations.

Some passengers who had been waiting at the Serpong Station since 5 a.m. were finally advised to take Jakarta-Rangkas Bitung diesel train at 7:04 am, although the train serving Jakarta-Merak route does not normally stop in Serpong.

Suyatno was still unsure when the electric trains would resume operations. "Several officers have been repairing the cables but this is technical work; we can not be certain sure when the trains will start again," he said.

KRLs serving the Serpong-Tanah Abang route, with stops at Sudimara, Pondok Ranji, Tanah Kusir, Kebayoran Lama and Palmerah, are cheap and popular modes of transport for many Serpong residents who commute to Jakarta by train to avoid traffic congestion.

Most buses from the area take more than three hours to reach the city center at peak hour because of the jams.

"We hope the KRLs will resume operation soon," Anwaruddin, a resident of Serpong, said.