Bekasi City –
An electronic gate has been installed at a railway crossing near Bekasi City, West Java. The installation of this automatic gate is part of an acceleration in handling level crossings, which is also being carried out in other areas.
A spokesperson stated that accelerating the management of crossings is currently an important part of strengthening a risk-based transportation safety system.
“Level crossings are points where train journeys and community mobility meet simultaneously. Therefore, handling them needs to be done more quickly, measurably, and integratively so that safety space in the field improves,” the spokesperson said in a statement on Thursday.
The new crossing gate, currently in the refinement and operational trial phase, is part of strengthening the safety of train journeys and road users.
During the facility improvement process in the Ampera area, train journey safety is still managed using the old gate, which remains functional. Additionally, temporary safety is supported through community self-help while awaiting the construction of a guard post and the placement of official personnel.
According to the spokesperson, collaboration in the field is an important part of maintaining safety during the facility upgrade process. The presence of safety facilities also needs to be followed by discipline from road users when crossing the area.
“We invite the public to be more disciplined when crossing level crossings, not to break through the gates, stop momentarily, look left and right, and ensure conditions are safe before continuing their journey,” the spokesperson explained.
The railway company, together with local governments and stakeholders in various regions, is striving to improve the safety of road users at points where rail lines and roads intersect.
Other Safety Improvement Efforts
In the period from April 27 to May 12, the railway company and stakeholders closed 20 crossing points and narrowed 7 crossing points in several operational areas and regional divisions.
Handling was carried out in the regions of Jakarta, Banten, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, and South Sumatra, especially at illegal crossings, unofficial access points, and locations with high safety risk levels.
In addition to closures and narrowing, the railway company also targets gradual safety improvements at 1,638 crossing points through the construction of safety facilities, strengthening of guarding, enhanced operational supervision, and inter-agency coordination to strengthen the safety of train journeys and road users.
2,111 Crossings Guarded, 1,776 Others Not Yet
Based on data from the first quarter of the year, there are 3,888 level crossings in Indonesia. Of this number, 2,112 points are guarded, while 1,776 others are not yet guarded.
“For crossings that are already guarded, management involves various parties. The railway company currently guards 977 points, or about 46 percent of the total guarded crossings. Local governments, through provincial and district/city transportation agencies, guard 680 points, or about 32 percent. Additionally, there are 417 points guarded through community self-help and 38 points guarded by the private sector,” the spokesperson explained.
Meanwhile, for unguarded crossings, the composition is spread across various road classes: 3 points are on national roads, 4 points on provincial roads, 415 points on district/city roads, and 1,354 points on subdistrict, village, and other environmental access roads.
According to the spokesperson, this structure shows that crossing safety requires cross-institutional involvement because management authority follows the road class, which falls under the central government, provincial government, or district/city government.
Regulatory provisions state that the management and safety evaluation of crossings based on road class is the authority of the Minister of Public Works for national roads, governors for provincial roads, and regents and mayors for district/city roads and village roads.
Therefore, the railway company has also submitted requests for delegation of authority in managing and improving crossing safety to several local governments so that accelerated handling in the field can be carried out more effectively and gradually.
In addition to physical arrangements, the railway