Metal boom latest device to stop ‘rail surfers’

JAKARTA: State railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia on Friday replaced the elastic “swinging door” contraption designed to swat away people riding on the tops of train carriages, with a fixed metal boom.

Two of the contraptions were installed along the Bogor-Kota route; one in Pasar Minggu Baru station and another near Kalibata station, both in South Jakarta.

There have been reports that the metal “swinging door” deterrent was not effective at dissuading so-called train surfers from riding atop public trains, because the rubber door felt only like a light slap when it impacted with a person’s head.

Kompas.com reported that early in the day in Kalibata station, dozens of commuters clamored onto the roofs of carriages, and once there simply bent down low to avoid the latest contraption.

The spokesperson of PT KAI Jakarta, Mateta Rijalulhaq, said it was a mission impossible to stop the train surfers entireley. “We just hope that this new method can prevent them from taking the risk of riding on top of the trains.”

The train operator last month installed grapefruit-sized concrete balls suspended inches above train height by wires along non-electric rail tracks to dissuade roof riding.

Most people who ride on train roofs do so to avoid the discomfort of the overcrowded carriages at rush hour, or because they cannot afford the price of a ticket.