Train drivers get little reward for difficult job

The house on Jl. Gembili Raya in Surabaya with the leaves gathering on the front porch has been empty for two days. "The entire family has been at their grandmother's since Pak Nurhadi passed away," a neighbor told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

Nurhadi Karyono was driving one of the two trains involved in an accident April 15 at Gubug station in Grobogan, Semarang, which left 14 passengers dead and dozens of others injured. An investigation is currently underway to determine why Nurhadi's train failed to stop at the station, ramming into the back of the other train.

This latest railway tragedy also served as a reminder of the plight of railway workers, who receive meager salaries for demanding and often dangerous work. Nurhadi, 46, who worked as a train driver for 24 years, was never able to afford his own home.

The house he lived in since his marriage was owned by his wife's parents, and he and his wife and their children had to share it with an uncle, Marimo, and his family. "The house belongs to Nurhadi's in-laws. My nephew couldn't buy his own house," Marimo said.

The biggest item Nurhadi could afford was a small motorcycle, which he used to drive his children, Yudha Susanto, 7, and Fitriani, 6, to school. Another train driver, M. Sugeng, who works the Surabaya-Bojonegoro line, said he was paid a monthly salary of just Rp 1 million (US$105), plus a small duty allowance. "What can I expect from such a small salary?" Sugeng asked.

To get by, he is forced to live in Babat, Lamongan, 75 kilometers from Surabaya. Every day Sugeng commutes between Surabaya and Lamongan by train. "That's the price of living out of town ... leaving for work early in the morning and returning home late at night," he said.

State-owned railway company PT KAI built housing for employees in Surabaya, but only senior employees have benefited from this company facility. "Most of them refuse to move out even after they retire," Sugeng said.

To supplement their salaries, some train drivers allow passengers to ride in the locomotive for a small fee, dangerously crammed into the small cabin. The Post observed an average of five passengers illegally riding inside the locomotives of trains leaving Pasar Turi station in Surabaya.

"We pay less to ride in the locomotive," said one of the passengers, Syawal. Passengers can pay drivers between Rp 10,000 and Rp 100,000 to ride in the cabin of an express train from Surabaya to Jakarta, compared to the normal fares of Rp 190,000 to Rp 220,000 for an executive-class train and Rp 47,000 for an economy-class train.

Authorities believe most of those killed in the accident Saturday were illegally riding in the locomotive. A spokesman for the state railway company in Surabaya, Sudarsono, acknowledged that drivers continued to allow passengers into their cabins. "I admit it, but this is a problem that we must tackle together because passengers continue to break the law," he said.

Sudarsono said PT KAI had repeatedly told passengers to purchase tickets and sit inside the passenger cars for the sake of safety. He urged the public and train employees to obey regulations. "We will take stern action against employees breaking this rule."

However, this practice will be difficult to stop as long as train drivers feel they must supplement their salaries in order to support themselves and their families. ***