Railway inspectors set to use new motorbikes

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Fri, 05/16/2008 12:44 PM | City

Railway inspectors will no longer need to walk up to seven kilometers each night to perform their duties thanks to a new innovation.

"By using a modified motorbike, one inspector can handle the job of more than three inspectors; it's more efficient," said Akhmed Sujadi, spokesman of state-owned railway company PT Kereta Api's (KA) Operational Region I, which includes Greater Jakarta and parts of West Java and Banten.

He said the company had three such modified motorbikes and the first inspection using the vehicle would start Tuesday along the Rangkasbitung-Parung Panjang route near Bogor, West Java.

"This route is our priority because it is in a quiet area prone to thievery," he said.

He said according to normal railway inspection procedure, inspectors had to walk on foot from one station to another every night with a flashlight to assess railway conditions. They also carry a lot of heavy equipment, including a spare railway tie, in case they find a railroad in need of repair or if they have to fasten loose bolts.

Another important duty, he said, was preventing people from stealing railway facilities, which included railway bars, communication cables and electricity devices.

"When the inspectors start to use the motorbikes, they can inspect more than 35 kilometers of railway each night," he said.

The new inspection vehicles are regular motorbikes made in China that have been modified at KA's Jatinegara railway station in East Jakarta.

After being modified, the motorbikes are equipped with an additional seat for the second inspector at its right side and a small car in the back.

The company plans to modify another 40 motorbikes for the inspections.

The innovation was the idea of S. Suseno Priyanto, head of the railway and bridge unit at KA's Operational Region I.

"Because the motorbikes have good lighting equipment and are operated by two people, the inspections will be more thorough," he said.

According to him, the motorbikes were also efficient because of their cheap modification cost, under Rp 10 million per motorbike, and its low consumption of gasoline.

"The motorbike only needs one liter of gasoline to ride along a 50-kilometer railway," he said, adding the vehicle could be easily lifted and removed from the railways in case of emergency.

"It can also pull a total of 500 kilograms, including a spare railway tie, which is very heavy. So if the inspectors find a broken railway tie, they can immediately replace it with a new one," he said. (uwi)

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