Behind the Deadly Railway Crossings

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Seven officers from the Bekasi City Transportation Agency in West Java were busy directing traffic on Jalan Ampera on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. The location sits directly on a railway level crossing only about 300 meters from Bekasi Timur Station.

One officer stood on the north side of the road, right in front of the crossing gate. That day, he was assigned to lower a bamboo barrier whenever a train approached.

Several local residents were also helping guard the crossing. One of them, Yatmo, said in a near whisper that Transportation Office officers only began helping after the collision between the Argo Bromo Anggrek train on the Gambir-Surabaya route and a Jakarta-Cikarang Commuter Line (KRL) at Bekasi Timur Station on Monday, April 27, 2026.

Previously, the crossing had no gate. Now, barriers stretch across the road whenever a train approaches, even though the route is an official crossing designated as Direct Crossing Line, or JPL 85. “There used to be no gate. Only local residents stood guard,” Yatmo said.

The collision between the Argo Bromo train and the KRL began when a Green SM taxi stalled in the middle of the tracks at the Jalan Ampera crossing. Yatmo said residents tried to push the vehicle, but the electric car would not budge. As a result, a KRL traveling from Cikarang toward Jakarta struck the taxi at 8:32pm.

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