JAKARTA: Indonesian investigators found signal and communication problems were the main cause of a deadly train collision near the capital Jakarta which killed 16 in April, a report from the Transportation Safety Committee showed.
The evening collision between a commuter train and a long-distance train happened on Apr 27 in Bekasi, just outside Jakarta, killing 16 people and injuring 107, said the report, which was published on the committee’s website.
It was not clear when the report was first released.
The accident began when an electric taxi reportedly stalled at an unmanned level crossing near the East Bekasi station. At 8.48pm that day, the vehicle was struck by a commuter train travelling from east to west.
Another commuter train travelling in the opposite direction was instructed to remain at East Bekasi station.
A third train – an express service travelling from Jakarta to Surabaya in East Java – slammed into the stationary commuter train, crushing passengers in the packed women-only carriage at the rear.
The report identified a signalling fault between Bekasi and East Bekasi stations, with the long-distance train responding to a green departure signal and not given any additional warning to slow down.
“The driver did not receive a yellow signal indication informing them that the next signal ahead was showing red,” the report said.
