Close 8 Featured Crossings During January 2025, KAI Asks People Not To Reopen

KAI (Photo: Doc Antara)

JAKARTA - PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) or KAI has closed 8 level crossings throughout January 2025. KAI reminded the public not to reopen the illegal crossings that have been closed.

The closed level crossings are spread across Daop 2 Bandung, Daop 6 Yogyakarta, Daop 8 Surabaya, Daop 9 Jember and Divre I Medan.

KAI Vice President Public Relations Anne Purba said the closure of this level crossing was in accordance with the Regulation of the Minister of Transportation Number 94 of 2018 Article 2.

The regulation states that level crossings that do not have a JPL number are not guarded, and/or are not side by side with a width of less than 2 meters must be closed or normalized by the railway line.

"KAI continues to strive to improve safety at level crossings. One concrete step taken is to proactively close a number of level crossings. Throughout January 2025, KAI has closed 8," Anne said in an official statement, Friday, February 7.

Anne said, previously throughout 2024, KAI had also succeeded in closing 309 level crossings. This level crossing is one of the vulnerable points for traffic unsafe conditions.

Furthermore, Anne said that throughout January 2025, KAI recorded 26 traffic accidents at the crossing. Of the 26 incidents, 16 of them occurred at unguarded crossings.

The highest number of incidents was in Divre IV Tanjungkarang with 5 incidents, explained Anne.

People Asked Not To Reopen

Given the dangers of this level of crossing, KAI reminds the public not to reopen the illegal crossings that have been closed.

Anne stressed that the closure was carried out as an effort to improve the safety of train travel and avoid the risk of accidents for road users.

"KAI deeply regrets some of the individuals who are trying to reopen the illegal crossings that have been closed. Because this has the potential to endanger the safety of train travel that carries hundreds, even thousands of customers, and threaten the safety of road users themselves," said Anne.

Anne emphasized that closing illegal crossings is a concrete step for KAI together with the Ministry of Transportation's DJKA to improve the safety of train travel. This is in accordance with the mandate of Law no. 23 of 2007 concerning Railways.

Other efforts made by KAI to improve safety at level crossings from 2020 until now include socialization of safety with the Department of Transportation, Police, Railfans, and the public.

KAI is also actively putting up warning banners at accident-prone locations, controlling illegal buildings around the railway line, and proposing construction of non-field crossings such as flyovers or underpasses to the government.

In addition, KAI continues to carry out maintenance and improve facilities at level crossings in order to minimize the risk of accidents.

"Security at level crossings really depends on the compliance of road users with traffic signs. Doorstops and guard officers are only aids, while the main safety is in the discipline of the community in driving and obeying the rules when crossing a level crossing," concluded Anne.