Palur-Yogya KRL Stopped at Maguwoharjo Dam Impact of Pacitan Earthquake

JAKARTA - Yogyakarta KA 721, a series of commuter train (KRL) that serves the Palur-Yogyakarta route, was stopped at Maguwoharjo Station, Sleman, Yogyakarta Special Region (DIY), following a magnitude 5.7 tectonic earthquake that occurred in Pacitan, East Java, Tuesday, at 08.20 WIB.

KAI Public Relations Manager for Daop 6 Yogyakarta, Feni Novida Saragih, said that the temporary suspension of all train journeys was a safety procedure after the earthquake and all journeys returned to normal at 08.48 WIB.

"Inspection of post-earthquake infrastructure is a procedure that KAI must carry out to ensure that safety aspects are maintained," said Feni as quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, January 27.

He explained that the KAI Daop 6 Yogyakarta field team immediately inspected all railway infrastructure, including the rail line, bridges, and other supporting facilities.

After the results of the examination stated that all crossings and lanes were safe, he said, train travel was again allowed to operate.

During the examination process, Feni said that as many as 16 train trips had to stop temporarily, including the Yogyakarta-Palur KA 712 and KA 721 KRL.

Meanwhile, one of the passengers of the KA 721 Intan Martha B train admitted that the train he was on stopped when it arrived at Maguwoharjo Station.

The suspension of the journey was conveyed to passengers through an announcement using a loudspeaker inside the train.

"The earthquake was not felt, but I knew from the announcement on the train that the train could not run because there was an earthquake so it needed to be checked for the train line," said the Solo-based state-owned company employee.

According to him, the train stopped about 25 minutes before continuing its journey.

Previously, the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) reported a tectonic earthquake with a magnitude of M5.7 occurred at 08.20 WIB with an epicenter on land 24 kilometers southeast of Pacitan, East Java, at a depth of 122 kilometers.

The earthquake was felt in the DIY area with an intensity of II MMI and was declared not to have the potential for a tsunami.