The Indonesian government is currently building a high-speed railroad which is estimated to be completed in 2021. If this project is finished, the Jakarta-Bandung express train construction will be the primary mode of fast train transportation in Indonesia. However, beforehand, a safety-related review is required because Indonesia’s railways’ condition is prone to an accident caused by derailment or slumping. Accordingly, research on this overturning is necessary.
The research team from the Master’s Program in Transportation Systems and Engineering, Universitas Gadjah Mada, consists of Rahmi Fajriati (MSTT 2018), Prof. Suryo Hapsoro Tri Utomo, Dr. Imam Muthohar, and Dr. Latif Budi Suparma. They conveyed the research results on Derailment Risk Analysis on Express Trains in Jakarta-Bandung. “I am personally interested in researching this topic because it is still uncommon in Indonesia. There have been no technical standards yet, as we know that the express rail construction currently being implemented will be the first high-speed train in Indonesia. Thus, there should be a safety review,” Rahmi told reporters on Tuesday (3/11).
She said the Jakarta-Bandung express train in Indonesia was possible thanks to a consortium of Indonesia and China. In this activity, China plays many roles, especially in the development process, including the determination of its technical standards. Therefore, Indonesia uses the technical standards of China’s express train to determine the safety of trains from the danger of derailment.
Rahmi revealed that this express train could go up to 350 km/hour. It will be very dangerous for passengers’ safety if it does not consider external and internal safety factors.
“One of the internal factors is a bump. The factors that influence a bump are the geometry of the railroad track and the characteristics of the train itself,” Rahmi explained.
She added that the Jakarta-Bandung express train planning uses the CR400AF Fuxing Train type train imported directly from China. This train has been adapted to high-speed train standards following the characteristics of the railroad tracks. Hence, the safety level is good. “China has a standard derailment coefficient of 0.8. The results of this research showed a more diminutive number of speed than that standard, which means that the express train is safe from derailment risks,” she said.
According to her, trains and rail lines are inseparable components, so no indicators are the most impactful as everything is interrelated and affects each other. These indicators include geometry in the form of the horizontal radius of the curve, superelevation, rail width, flange angle, and friction coefficient (rail line) while on the trains they encompass train height, axle load, and distance to the center of gravity of the train.
The team research process took approximately six months, supported by P.T. Wijaya Karya, Tbk. Rahmi also explained that this research was conducted as part of a master’s research in the Master of Transportation Systems and Engineering study program to obtain secondary data. However, because this topic of interest is uncommon, it was finally included in presenting research results at the Symposium XXIII Forum on Transportation Studies between Higher Education (FSTPT) 2020. This event was organized by the Sumatra Institute of Technology on October 2 and got an award as the first rank for Best Paper in the Master’s Student category.
