Malfunction Of Crossgate System Causes Train Accident In Bintaro

Jakarta, Dec 30 (Antara) - The malfunction of the railway crossgates is the cause of the crash that killed seven people on December 9, stated Chairman of Transportation Safety Commission (KNKT) Tatang Kurniadi, here on Monday. Tatang stated that it was the failure of the crossgates separating the regular road and the train line in Bintaro area, South Jakarta that caused the crash between a commuter train and a fuel truck on December 9, during a press conference announcing the final report of the Transportation Safety Commission`s (KNKT) investigation regarding the December 9 incident. "There were two crossgates at the location which are actually supposed to signal the warning for vehicles moving from both sides of the road, whenever a train is about to pass. Prior to the accident, one of the gates closed sooner than the other one," confirmed Tatang. According to him, some vehicles, including the fuel truck, had entered the railway area just before one of the crossgate was closed. As a result the front wagon of the commuter train, heading to Jakarta from the Tangerang Province, was derailed and caught fire after it hit the fuel truck. The accident killed seven people including the train`s machinist, assistant machinist, technician and four female passengers. Another finding from the safety commission`s investigation is that prior to the accident, several warning signs placed around the railway area could not be clearly seen due to high the density of people and vehicles passing through the location. "We recommend that the state-owned railway operators clear the area around the railway and repair the crossgate closing systems," Tatang stated.