Thieves bring trains to a halt

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.