Indonesia Train Collision Kills Several

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

JAKARTA (Worthy News) – At least four people were killed as two trains collided on Indonesia’s main island of Java on Friday, but a Christian said she was lucky to be alive.

The disaster, about 500 meters (yards) from Cicalengka train station in West Java province, highlighted broader concerns about the Southeast Asia nation’s aging railway network despite billions spent on improvements.

Authorities said the Turangga express train carrying 287 passengers was traveling from Surabaya, the capital of East Java province when it plowed into a Bandung Raya commuter train with 191 passengers on board heading to Padalarang from Haurpugur station at about 6:03 a.m.

West Java Police said at least four train crew members were killed — the driver and his assistant on the commuter train and a steward and a security guard on the express train. There was concern the death toll could rise.

A devoted Christian church worker, who identifies herself as Viktoria, had changed her schedule ahead of the crash. “I am thankful to be alive, but tomorrow, my schedule is on this railway,” she told Worthy News. “Please pray.”

Passenger Heri Aliyudin told Indonesian television that the lights were knocked out in his cabin in the third carriage of the Turangga train. He recalled suitcases and bags falling onto several passengers. Those who were still asleep were reportedly thrown from their seats.

PASSENGER SHOCKED

“I was so shocked, I couldn’t move for a moment, it was total confusion,” Aliyudin explained to Kompas TV. “Then I grabbed my suitcase and shoved my way outside.”

Spokesperson Ayep Hanapi of PT Kereta Api Indonesia, the national railways, said that all
passengers “of the two crashed trains have been evacuated safely.” Hanapi cautioned that 37 people were injured and treated at several hospitals. By Friday afternoon, only two passengers were still hospitalized, he said.

Yet the overturned carriages and injured people panicking and walking with belongings in rice fields reminded Indonesians of previous train accidents in the world’s largest Muslim nation of more than 270 million people.

In October 2013, a passenger train crashed into a minibus that was carrying families of hajj pilgrims at an unguarded crossing in West Java’s Indramayu district, killing 13 people.

A train from the capital, Jakarta, in 2010 plowed into the rear of a train that was sitting at a station in Central Java province, killing 36 people.

The government has spent billions of dollars on improving infrastructure, including railways, roads, airports, and power plants, in the biggest archipelago country.

HIGH-SPEED RAILWAY

A $7.3 billion high-speed railway, Southeast Asia’s first, has been operating commercially since October. The 142-kilometer (88-mile) railway, a critical project under China’s controversial Belt and Road infrastructure initiative, drastically reduced travel time between Jakarta and Bandung from three hours to about 40 minutes, residents say.

However, Friday’s devastating crash highlighted concerns that infrastructure progress remains limited and slow across Indonesia.

Transportation Ministry spokesperson Adita Irawati “apologized” for the accident and the disruption of railway services across Java island.

She told reporters the cause of the accident was being investigated amid reports that poor communications may be blamed for the crash.

Investigators suggested that the commuter train was given the go-ahead to proceed when the express train was almost at Cicalengka station. Usually, the commuter train stops at Haurpugur Station to give way to the express train before proceeding.

Despite the confusion and chaos, Indonesia’s transport minister said rescuers had evacuated all passengers and were working to remove the trains to restore service to many passengers.

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