Train crashes no big deal for KAI, public
Train crashes no big deal for KAI, public
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Seconds before its scheduled departure from Depok station at 7:30
a.m. on Thursday, people were continuing to board the overcrowded
train.
And not just the conventional way either. Teenagers and adults
alike were flinging themselves onto the roof, which was also
packed.
"This is normal for us. If we can't find space here (in the
cars) then we ride on the roof, as long as we arrive at our
workplace," Joko, a regular commuter, told The Jakarta Post.
The passengers on the roof seemed to have forgotten the June
30 train crash in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, in which four
people were killed and hundreds of others -- many rooftop
passengers -- were injured.
"It was just bad luck. Besides, we have no choice. Trains are
the fastest and cheapest transportation in Jakarta," Joko said.
The train stopped at nine stations before Joko and dozens of
other passengers alighted at Cawang station, South Jakarta. The
station official did not check their tickets, in fact many
passengers were able to slip by him. But he appeared unperturbed
by their self-assurance.
Several people even exited the station via the back, where no
fence separates the station from houses.
"Why would I buy a ticket if others don't? If KAI officials
took tougher action, then we would have no choice but to buy a
ticket," Joko said.
The Post observed similar situations at stations from Depok to
Kota.
Peak hours for city trains are between 6:00 a.m. and 10 a.m.
and from 4:00 p.m. to 8 p.m. The huge number of passengers during
these periods means onboard checking of tickets is not feasible.
Kota stationmaster Suyatno said around 80,000 passengers
passed through the station daily, but only half of them bought
tickets.
He said, with tickets priced from Rp 1,000 to Rp 2,000, PT KAI
loses Rp 40 million to Rp 80 million a day at Kota station alone.
Suyatno said it was difficult for an overloaded train to make
a sudden stop in an emergency.
"The crash in Pasar Minggu was an example of how the brakes
did not work with too many passengers. He hit the brakes 30
meters away from the other train, but crashed into it anyway as
the train wheels slipped," Suyatno said.
He said that if a train was overloaded with passengers, the
driver needed to brake at least 100 meters away.
Suyatno said drivers were fully aware of their situations due
to effective communications equipment.
Big stations like Kota, Senen, Gambir and Jatinegara have a
screen to monitor their own operations, while Jakarta -- as a
whole -- can be monitored from a big screen in Manggarai, South
Jakarta.
On the screen, a red light indicates a train is traveling on a
line, a green light indicates it is empty.
"We have a special telephone at each of the stations for KAI
communications and each driver has a walkie-talkie to communicate
with each station," Suyatno said.
While approximately 450,000 people a day travel by train in
the Greater Jakarta area, according to Taufik Hidayat -- a train
researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI) --
although KAI reported a Rp 4 billion profit in 2004, it lost a
lot due to inefficiency.
"The government has asked KAI to be profitable, whatever it
takes, so the company reports a profit each year. In reality, it
suffers a great deal of loss if it counts all its expenses,"
Taufik told the Post.