Safe Weekends Along Railway Lines: KAI Urges Driver Discipline at Crossings and Warns Public Off Tracks

Weekends serve as a time for many people to travel, gather, vacation, and engage in activities around their respective neighborhoods. Amid these moments, PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) invites the public to maintain collective safety by practicing discipline when crossing level crossings and refraining from playing, taking selfies, sitting, fishing, vending, or conducting any activities along railway lines.

KAI Vice President of Corporate Communications Anne Purba stated that railway operational safety heavily depends on the discipline of all parties. Trains operate on a dedicated track and cannot stop abruptly like road vehicles.

“Waiting a few minutes at a crossing is far safer than taking risks by breaking through. We invite the public, especially this weekend, to stop, look left and right, ensure it is safe, and prioritize train journeys. Railway lines are also not a place to play or gather. A single step into a restricted area can endanger yourself, passengers, and staff,”

KAI recorded that up to June 14, 2026, there were 128 accident cases at level crossings with 105 victims, consisting of 44 fatalities, 27 heavy injuries, and 34 minor injuries. In terms of causes, 113 incidents or 88 percent were caused by vehicles breaking through, 9 incidents or 7 percent resulted from stalled vehicles, and 6 incidents or 5 percent were related to late or unclosed crossing gates. The vehicles involved consisted of 74 motorcycles (58 percent) and 54 cars (42 percent). Based on the crossing type, 59 incidents or 46 percent occurred at gated crossings, and 69 incidents or 54 percent happened at ungated crossings.

In addition to crossing accidents, KAI also recorded 252 trespass/collision incidents along non-crossing railway lines up to June 14, 2026. Out of this total, 235 incidents or 93 percent were pedestrian trespassing, while 17 incidents or 7 percent involved vehicles. Among pedestrian trespassing incidents, casualties stood at 183 fatalities, 44 heavy injuries, and 19 minor injuries. This data serves as a stark reminder that being within the railway track zone without authorization is a highly dangerous act.

Anne emphasized that safety regulations at crossings are governed under Law Number 22 Year 2009 concerning Traffic and Road Transportation Article 114. At level crossings between railway tracks and roads, drivers are obligated to stop when the signal sounds, the crossing gates begin to close, or other signals are given; prioritize the train; and give the main right-of-way to vehicles that have already entered the crossing. Violations of this obligation are regulated under Article 296.

For activities within the track zone, Law Number 23 Year 2007 concerning Railways Article 181 paragraph (1) prohibits anyone from being within the right-of-way of railway lines, placing or moving items on top of rails, crossing railway lines without authorization, or using railway lines for other purposes. The penal provisions are regulated under Article 199, with penal adjustments following the latest applicable provisions in Law Number 1 Year 2026 concerning Penal Adjustments.

Regarding crossing management, KAI notes that there are 3,674 level crossings. In detail, 2,771 are registered crossings and 903 are unregistered and ungated crossings. Out of the registered crossings, 1,864 points are guarded, and 907 points are registered but unguarded. Consequently, there are 1,810 unguarded crossings that serve as a focal point for mitigation, consisting of 907 registered unguarded points and 903 unregistered unguarded points.

KAI along with Danantara, the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (BP BUMN), DJKA Kemenhub, and the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) have also coordinated on level crossing management. For the priority closure program, out of the 172 designated level crossings, 150 points have been successfully closed up to June 18, 2026, reaching 87 percent completion. There remain 22 points that continue to be coordinated for resolution alongside relevant stakeholders.

The detailed realization of the 150 closed points includes:

• Daop 1 Jakarta: 20 out of 31 points
• Daop 2 Bandung: 1 out of 1 point
• Daop 3 Cirebon: 1 out of 1 point
• Daop 4 Semarang: 11 out of 11 points
• Daop 5 Purwokerto: 6 out of 6 points
• Daop 6 Yogyakarta: 2 out of 2 points
• Daop 7 Madiun: 1 out of 1 point
• Daop 8 Surabaya: 4 points out of a target of 2 points
• Daop 9 Jember: 7 out of 7 points
• Divre I North Sumatra: 39 out of 39 points
• Divre II West Sumatra: 26 out of 35 points
• Divre III Palembang: 6 out of 6 points

• Divre IV Tanjungkarang: 26 out of 30 points

In addition to closures, KAI is also preparing safety upgrade programs for crossings that still need to be managed. From an initial quota of 1,638 level crossings, 1,404 points have been verified as safety upgrade targets. Based on the verification recap, the road width distribution consists of 732 crossings with a width of less than 4 meters, 589 crossings with a width of 4–6 meters, and 83 crossings with a width of more than 6 meters.

Out of those 1,404 verified points, KAI has designated 190 priority points to commence in 2026 through the provision of gateless guard posts, communication equipment, and watchmen. Meanwhile, the other 1,214 points will be handled progressively over the period of 2027 to 2030, taking into account priority scales, field conditions, and coordination with the Railway Engineering Bureau (BTP) as well as local transportation offices.

Today, KAI alongside communities in the Daop 2 Bandung region conducted a level crossing safety and track zone discipline socialization campaign. The activity involved 30 participants from various communities, including train enthusiast communities or railfans, through safety education agendas and a "Safety Hunting Photo & Video" activity, which was directed to ensure train documentation activities are conducted from safe locations and in line with regulations.

“We highly appreciate the railfans community which has consistently helped convey safety messages. Currently, we nurture 56 railfans communities with a total of 6,455 active members. A love for trains needs to be accompanied by the discipline to maintain a safe distance, stay off the tracks, refrain from creating content in restricted areas, and help remind nearby residents,”

Throughout 2026 up to June 15 at 06:00 WIB, KAI has conducted 1,606 security and safety socialization activities across various regions. The breakdown consists of 1,085 socializations at crossings, 197 socializations at schools and communities, as well as 324 safety banner installations. KAI has also deployed drone patrols with a total of 1,287 patrol days, 2,562 sorties, and 43,069 minutes of monitoring to assist in overseeing high-risk areas.

Anne added that safety messages need to be repeated constantly because the majority of accidents still stem from risky behavior.

“When the crossing gates begin to lower or the signal sounds, stop. When you see the tracks, do not use them as a shortcut. When you want to take photos, choose a safe location. Safety begins with the small decisions we make a few seconds before stepping or crossing,”

VP Corporate Communications KAI