State train operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia’s (KAI) services in North Sumatra were paralyzed for more than 10 hours on Wednesday after street vendors blocked the tracks at the Perbaungan and Tebing Tinggi Stations as part of a protest.
The scheduled departures of many trains from Medan were cancelled due to the protest, forcing hundreds of passengers to return their tickets.
Medan Station chief Jasrin Sibarani said that the tracks were first blocked at both locations at 7:30 a.m.
The protests turned aggressive when the Puteri Deli train, which left Medan Station at 6:50 a.m. bound for Kota Tanjung Balai, was hit with stones thrown by protesters as it passed the Perbaungan Station.
“Protesters blocked the train and threw stones at Puteri Deli, causing some broken windows. Fortunately, the train could continue the trip to Tanjung Balai Station,” Jasrin told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
A machinist was injured after being hit by a stone.
Jasin said that the protest came after the company banned street vendors from working on the trains. The ban was officially enforced on Wednesday, after the vendors were notified in writing in January.
“We are planning to organize the vendors that do their businesses on the train today [Wednesday],” said Jasrin.
He said that the train operator tried to offer a solution by restricting the number of vendors allowed on a train to 30 people.
“However they refused that solution because they wanted to do business freely, without any restriction,” he said.
One of the vendors, M. Yasmin Nasution, said that they would never accept the policy because they had worked on the trains for years.
“We have been doing our business on trains for years. Why do they bother making restrictions now? We never disturb passengers and we even safeguard them from pickpockets,” Yasmin said.
He said that they would continue blocking the tracks if KAI insisted on continuing the ban.
Perbaungan Police chief Adj. Comr. Marludin said that operations at the Perbaungan Station returned to normal after the vendors ended their protest at 3:30 p.m.
He said that the vendors and PT KAI had agreed to discuss the problem on Thursday at the KAI office in Medan. (iwa/nvn)
