New law seen boosting rail safety

Alvin Darlanika Soedarjo, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Director General for Railway Transportation Soemino Eko Saputro said the country's private sector will be invited to oversee railway operations and infrastructure thanks to a new law that could also improve security and safety on railway services.

"The new law will open the opportunity for private sectors and provincial administration to become railway operators," Soemino said addressing a seminar on railway services here Monday.

"The government will no longer play an operational role -- we will simply be a regulator."

Once authorized by the President, the new railway law will replace the 1992 law, which makes the government both operator and regulator.

Under the existing law, the government and state railway company PT KA manages all operations and facilities, including tracks, stations and carriages.

But under the new law, tracks and stations will be grouped under the infrastructure division while trains and carriages will be grouped under the facility division.

Both PT KA and the private sector should secure a contract on which facility or infrastructure they want to manage, Soemino said.

"For example, if a company wants to build a high-speed train from Jakarta to Surabaya, then it could also manage the stations between those cities."

Soemino said under the current law foreign companies are able to invest in specialized railway services, including coal trains, but not in civil or commercial railway transportation.

In addition to regulating technical aspects of railway services, the new law will also regulate sanctions for passengers who travel illegally -- including sitting on top of carriages.

The police will have the authority to impose sanctions or fines for passengers violating this law.

While maintaining the existing National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT), the new law will regulate the establishment of a team of certified investigators to probe any railway accidents.

The team will comprise civil servants who will be trained on investigation skills by the police.

"The KNKT will focus on cause and prevention of accidents, while the new team will investigate individual operators who fail to work properly," Soemino said.

"We have already recruited 60 people for this new team."

Gatot Wibowo, corporate secretary of PT KA, said the company could only offer human resources or expertise to potential investors interested in railway transportation services.

He said the increasing number of tollroads in the country had lowered PT KA's income.

The (Cipularang) tollroad from Jakarta to Bandung has seen a 40 percent loss of income in ticketing, he cited an example.

Chairman of the Railway Commuters Community Moch. Hendrowijono said multi-operators of railways could boost competition and bring much-needed funds for the industry to improve its services.

"Insufficient government subsidies and PT KA's limited revenue cannot cover the company's operational expenditures, which has resulted in maintenance being neglected."