Agencies, Jakarta – The National Police charged a train driver Tuesday with allegedly failing to hit the brakes in time to prevent a crash that killed 16 women near Jakarta in April, an official said.
A long-distance train smashed on April 28 into a women-only car at the back of a stationary commuter train near Bekasi Timur station in West Java.
Rescuers worked for hours into the night to pry open the crumpled carriages.
The 37-year-old driver of the long-distance train now faces multiple charges after an investigation found he had hit the brakes too close to the stalled commuter train.
"Investigators concluded that the emergency braking action could have been carried out further away," Jakarta police official Adj. Sr. Comr. I Dewa Putu Gede Anom Danujaya told a press conference.
The driver risks up to 12 years in prison if found guilty, said Dewa.
The incident killed 16 passengers of the women-only carriage – a feature on commuter trains to shield women from sexual harassment while commuting.
Another 107 people were injured, according to a National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) report.
The report identified a signalling fault between Bekasi and Bekasi Timur stations, with the long-distance train responding to a green departure signal and not given any additional warning to slow down.
"The driver did not receive a yellow signal indication informing them that the next signal ahead was showing red," the report said.
It also took three minutes and 20 seconds for the operation control centre to receive information from the commuter train driver regarding the incident with the taxi, with the control centre staff unable to hear the driver clearly, the report said.
The driver of the long-distance train had not received training in situations which require emergency braking, the report added.
The report said several factors, including signalling and communication system failures, contributed to the crash. The train driver is not under arrest.