“Even on a straight track, suddenly applying the brakes could cause the train body to lift,” transportation policy analyst Azas Tigor Nainggolan told CNA.
“If the train driver had applied the emergency brake at the bend, the train could have overturned. That would have been even more dangerous and could have caused many casualties among the passengers.”
The KNKT report highlighted that there is currently no SOP on how emergency braking should be safely performed on a curved section of a track.
Despite the driver’s best efforts to avoid a crash, the express train was still travelling at 40kmh when it ploughed into the stationary commuter train. The safety committee concluded that it would have needed another 500m to 550m to come to a complete stop.
A CONTROVERSIAL DECISION
Jakarta police have since named the driver of the long-distance express train – identified only as 37-year-old AN – a suspect in the crash.
“Investigators concluded that the emergency braking could have been applied from farther away,” Jakarta police official I Dewa Putu Gede Anom Danujaya told a press conference on Sep 29.
AN faces up to 12 years in prison if convicted, Dewa said. He has not been detained.
The decision has drawn criticism from transportation experts, who argue that KNKT’s investigation identified broader failures beyond the actions of the driver.
“Don’t place all the blame on the driver. They operate according to instructions from the control centre. Fix the system,” Djoko Setijowarno, a transportation expert from Central Java’s Soegijapranata Catholic University, told CNA.
Members of parliament have also questioned the police’s decision.
“We believe KNKT’s findings show that this accident was not simply the result of an individual mistake, or human error, but involved systemic failures,” said Syaiful Huda, deputy chairman of the House of Representatives’ Commission V which oversees transportation and a lawmaker from the National Awakening Party (PKB).
“We believe it is unfair if the blame is placed solely on the Argo Bromo Anggrek train driver.”