Train derails in Indonesia

“It was so full you could not walk from one end of the carriage to the other. People kept pouring on whenever the train stopped,” the unidentified passenger told Metro TV from her hospital bed.

 

“You take the plane and it crashes, you take the train and it derails, you take the bus and it meets an accident or goes off the road” Wibowo, a passenger on another train

Train accidents, especially at crossings, are common on Indonesia’s ageing railway, and economy class coaches usually carry up to 200 people.

 

The derailment caused massive delays and left hundreds stranded for hours while other train services plying the Solo-Jakarta route were diverted.

 

Since late December, Indonesia has seen a spate of air and sea accidents caused by bad weather with hundreds reported dead or missing.

 

Wibowo, an exasperated passenger on another train, was quoted in Kompas as saying: “I’m confused. You take the plane and it crashes, you take the train and it derails, you take the bus and it meets an accident or goes off the road.”