KAI Has Closed 130 Level Crossings As Of September 2024

JAKARTA - PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) continues to improve safety at level crossings. One of them is by proactively closing level crossings. A total of 130 level crossings have been closed until September 2024.

KAI VP Public Relations Anne Purba said the number of closed level crossings was for the period January to September 30, 2024.

Anne said, according to the Regulation of the Minister of Transportation Number 94 of 2018 Article 2, a level crossing that does not have a JPL number, is not guarded, and/or is not gated, which is less than 2 meters wide, must be closed or normalized by the railway line.

"Recorded during the period 2020 to September 2024, KAI has closed the crossing of 1,298 illegal and vulnerable areas," he said in an official statement, Friday, September 4.

Anne said KAI continues to try to close the level crossings that do not meet regulations. The reason is, a level crossing is one of the vulnerable points for traffic accidents.

Before the implementation of the closure, the KAI team had conducted socialization to the surrounding community. Efforts to close the illegal level crossing are in line with the rules in Law No:23 /2007 concerning Railways, Law No: 22 /2009 concerning Road Traffic and Transportation, as well as Regulation of the Minister of Transportation Number 94 of 2018 articles 5 and 6, said Anne.

Anne said the existence of level crossings in some places passes through residential areas and industrial areas, making it prone to temporary accidents.

Based on data from January to August 2024, continued Anne, 535 temperan events have been recorded on the train and crossing lines. In 2023 there have been 774 temperan incidents and 738 temperan events in 2022.

Anne said there were at least four impacts of accidents at a railroad crossing. First, the death toll, serious injuries, and minor injuries from officers, passengers, and road users.

Second, damage to train facilities ranging from locomotives, trains, and carriages. Third, damage to train infrastructure such as rails, bearings, bridges, and signaling equipment.

"Finally, there have been disruptions to train travel and services. Train delays, passenger buildup, diversion to other modes of transportation (overstappen)," he said.

Anne said other efforts made by KAI to improve the safety of level crossings from 2020 to 2024 include socialization of safety by involving the Department of Transportation, Railfans, and the community, the installation of 1,553 warning banners in vulnerable locations, as well as controlling 646 illegal buildings around the railway line.

In addition, continued Anne, KAI also proposed making non-field crossings to the government, namely by building flyovers or underpasses, as well as maintaining and repairing equipment at level crossings.

Anne said that currently there are 3,693 level crossing points consisting of 1,883 or 50.98 percent of maintained crossing points and 1,810 or 49.01 percent of unmaintained crossing points.

"We continue to urge the public to always increase traffic discipline, especially when at level crossings. The main tools for safety at these crossings are traffic signs," he said.

The existence of a doorstop and a doorkeeper is just a security aid. So the main solution to avoid traffic accidents at the crossing is traffic discipline," continued Anne.