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Concerns grow over unguarded railway crossings amid budget cuts
PT KAI confirmed that all railway level crossings under the state-owned railway operator's management are properly guarded to ensure traffic safety.
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A resident manages traffic at a railway crossing in Rawa Buaya, West Jakarta, on Wednesday, while a train approaches. Some railway crossings in the capital do not have proper barriers and pose a danger to motorists. (The Jakarta Post/David Caessarre)
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ocial media platform X is buzzing with netizens’ complaints about unattended railway level crossings in Jember, East Java, allegedly as a result of efficiency-driven staff cuts.
“This is insane, I don’t understand anymore. Due to budget efficiency, several railway crossings are left unguarded,” X user @Murta***** tweeted, as quoted by Kompas on Wednesday.
"The staff were laid off because they were still contract workers. The government is playing with people’s lives.”
The level crossing guardians were reportedly dismissed by the Jember Transportation Agency amid controversial budget efficiency measures across various governmental institutions, from regional to national levels.
State-owned railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) public relations vice president Anne Purba gave an assurance that all level crossings owned by KAI remained guarded 24 hours a day and were never left unattended.
“All railway crossings managed by KAI are always guarded. As for the others, please check who they belong to,” she told Kompas.com.
Apart from KAI, several other institutions are involved in managing level crossings, including transportation agencies, public works and water resources agencies and local administrations.
