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Minister blames power outage for breakdowns of Palembang LRT
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Light rail transit (LRT) passengers in Palembang walk on a walkway on an elevated railway on Aug. 12 heading to Jakabaring Station after the LRT train stopped suddenly two kilometers before reaching the station. (Antara/ Mushaful Imam)
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ransportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi has explained the possible reasons why light rail transit (LRT) trains in Palembang broke down on three separate occasions while carrying passengers.
After the latest breakdown on Sunday, passengers had to get off the LRT cars and walk some two kilometers to reach the nearest station.
He identified three possible reasons for the failures, namely the electricity supply, improper implementation of standard operation procedures (SOP) and technical issues.
Budi said he had demanded that all stakeholders, including state-owned construction company PT Waskita Karya as the developer, state-owned train producer PT Industry Kerata Api (PT INKA) and state-owned railway operator PT KAI, assure that the LRT Palembang can operate smoothly.
“I have ordered representatives of the Transportation Ministry, Waskita, INKA and KAI to guard the installation. God willing, the train will run well,” Budi said as quoted by tribunnews.com.
An LRT train suddenly stopped on Aug. 1 during heavy rains, 4 kilometers before the train reached Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International Airport. It happened again on Aug. 10 as a result of a signaling issue. The third instance was on Aug. 12.
The LRT trains can travel at 85 kilometers per hour. The government plans to operate the LRT to transport athletes, officials and spectators of the 2018 Asian Games.
“The LRT takes 30 to 45 minutes to travel from the airport to Jakabaring Sport City,” Budi said. (bbn)
