Jokowi vying to prevent more rail accidents

JAKARTA. In the wake of the fatal railroad crossing collision on Monday, the Jakarta administration will go ahead with a tabled plan to build underpasses and overpasses at several dangerous crossings across the capital.

In his visit to the crash site in Pondok Betung, Bintaro, South Jakarta, late on Monday, Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo reaffirmed the plan to carry out the roadwork next year.

“Enough with meetings and discussions. We should not delay the construction of overpasses and underpasses at train crossings,” he said, adding that crossings prone to vehicular accidents would be prioritized.

However separately, Deputy Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama said that the plan, would have to be altered to accommodate a central government infrastructure project.

“We have to change some of the locations as the central government planned to build an elevated train loop line. But we definitely will start to build overpasses and underpasses next year, including one at the crash site,” he said at City Hall.

The Jakarta administration had previously planned to construct seven overpasses and three underpasses earlier this year to reduce traffic over accident-prone crossings, but the plan had been shelved after the central government decided to move ahead on its plan to build an elevated train loop line connecting Manggarai-Tanah Abang-Duri-Senen-Jatinegara-Kampung Bandan-Kemayoran-Manggarai.

To date, only 43 crossings in Jakarta have an overpass or an underpass.

The central government has announced its support for the city’s plan.

“Trains are an important mode of transportation and we are committed to improving safety and services. We support the construction of the underpasses and we are going to have a meeting with the [Jakarta] administration and [state-owned train operator] PT KAI on this matter,” Transportation Minister EE Mangindaan said.

Jakarta Public Works Agency head Manggas Rudy Siahaan said that the city would start with 15 overpasses and underpasses.

“The 15 locations comprise seven crossings along the Serpong route, two along the Cikampek route, two on the Tangerang route and four on the Depok route,” he was quoted as saying by kompas.com.

Manggas said the administration would allocate Rp 150 billion (US$12.45 million) for each overpass or underpass, the construction of which was expected to complete in 2016. “The project will become our priority program and I hope the council will approve the proposed budget,” he added.

Ahok said that the roads would not be built simultaneously so as to limit the impact on city traffic.

The work on the loop-line elevated railway, which will cost an estimated Rp 9.5 trillion, is expected to begin in 2014, with the first phase covering the eastern loop line linking Manggarai and Kampung Bandan. The elevated railway would shorten journey times between stops to around three to five minutes.

The government has allocated Rp 700 billion from the 2014 state budget for this project.

Due to the plan, PT KAI will also pull the breaks on its plan to expand the Greater Jakarta railroad.

“We have to halt our development plan for the Jakarta railway and wait for a new design, as the central government has decided to start construction on the elevated loop line next year,” PT KAI president director Ignasius Jonan said.

Meanwhile, the central government has started an investigation into the Monday crash.

“We have dispatched our team to further investigate the collision and we are working with the KNKT [National Transportation Safety Committee] to find out what happened. We ask the public to be patient and not jump to any conclusions about the accident,” Mangindaan said.

At least seven people, including three train crewmembers, died in Monday-accident, when the train slammed into a tanker hauling 24,000 liters of fuel, which had allegedly jumped a crossing barrier.

Train regulations in Indonesia

1. Law No. 23/2007 on trains stipulates that the central government is obligated to create all the necessary regulations on the construction of train infrastructure, while state-owned PT Kereta Api Indonesia’s main function is as an operator.

2. Presidential Decree No. 83/2011 on train facilities in Jakarta and its surrounding areas states that regional administrations must support the improvement of railways through:

a. The construction of underpasses and overpasses

b. The development of areas around train stations

c. Establishing coordination with other modes of transportation

d. Creating spatial zoning for existing and new train stations

e. Building access to stations and other supporting facilities

The supporting facilities are included in a joint agreement between Central and regional administrations and state-owned PT Kereta Api Indonesia. (Sita W. Dewi and Nurfika Osman)