KAI Hopes Railway Crossings are Made Grade-Separated Following Train Delay

Train travel on the Patukan - Rewulu line in Yogyakarta was briefly disrupted due to an operational issue caused by a stalled truck struck by the Lodaya Train (Solo Balapan - Bandung) on Tuesday (26/4) at 19:43 WIB. There were no fatalities in the incident, but it caused damage to rolling stock and infrastructure, as well as train delays of up to 133 minutes. Following repairs and rolling stock replacement, the Lodaya Train resumed its journey, and the track has been clear since 21:00 WIB.

KAI VP Public Relations Joni Martinus stated that the high number of level crossings keeps the potential for future travel disruptions alive. KAI hopes that all authorized parties can convert level railway crossings into grade-separated structures, such as flyovers or underpasses.

Law Number 23 of 2007 concerning Railways Article 91 states that intersections between railway lines and roads must be grade-separated. Furthermore, Ministry of Transportation Regulation Number 94 of 2018 Articles 5 and 6 stipulate that level crossing evaluations must be conducted by the government according to its road classification, involving KAI and other relevant parties at least once a year. Based on the evaluation results, level crossings can be grade-separated, closed, or upgraded for safety by the Director General for national roads, the Governor for provincial roads, and the Regent/Mayor for district/city and village roads.

“By building grade-separated crossings, the safety of road users and train travel can be significantly enhanced,” Joni said.

The incident did not only cause damage to the locomotive but also led to substantial delays for train travel along the southern line of Java. This occurrence certainly inconvenienced the general public, affecting not only the passengers of the Lodaya Train but also passengers of other trains impacted along the line. There were 6 trains that experienced delays ranging from 8 minutes to 133 minutes.

Up to mid-April 2022, there were 59 traffic accidents at level crossings, resulting in 26 fatalities, 27 severe injuries, and 35 minor injuries.

Currently, it is a crucial period for Lebaran Transportation, as more people are beginning to use trains for travel. Therefore, we hope all parties can enhance safety across all railway level crossings.

“KAI urges motorists to prioritize safety when passing through level crossings and to always check their vehicle conditions to prevent stalling while driving over level crossings,” Joni said.

Meanwhile, KAI has designated the Lebaran Transportation period from D-10 to D+10 of Lebaran, or April 22 to May 13, 2022. For departures on April 26 or D-6 of Lebaran, KAI dispatched 78,379 Long-Distance Train customers embarking on early mudik to various destinations. From D-10 to D-6, KAI served a total of 370,150 customers, averaging 74,030 customers per day with an occupancy rate of 64%.

As of April 27, KAI has sold 1,630,128 Long-Distance Train tickets, or 63% of the total tickets provided for the departure period from April 22 to May 13, 2022. The favorite departure dates for the public's homecoming flow are April 29 and April 30, or D-3 and D-2 of Lebaran, with preferred routes originating from Jakarta and Bandung toward Semarang, Surabaya, and Yogyakarta.

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