Jakarta Railside Families Face Uncertain Future

Indonesia plans to relocate families living beside railway tracks into new homes, beginning in Jakarta amid safety concerns and long-standing community ties.

Jakarta Plans Railside Relocation

Families living beside active railway tracks in Central Jakarta are facing an uncertain future as Indonesia prepares to relocate them to newly built housing.

The government plans to begin the relocation programme in Jakarta before expanding it nationwide, as authorities seek to address safety risks and improve living conditions for communities settled along railway corridors.

In Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, many homes stand less than 5m from active railway lines. Residents have spent years adapting to trains that pass every five to 10 minutes during rush hour.For families who have lived there for generations, the constant rumble of trains has become part of daily life.

Tuti Lestari, a 47-year-old drink seller who was born and raised beside the tracks, said she was accustomed to her surroundings despite the risks.

However, she acknowledged that accidents occur, particularly when people unfamiliar with the area cross the tracks without knowing train routes and schedules.

Tuti said about one person is killed each year in accidents while crossing the railway tracks in the area.The plight of railside communities drew wider national attention after President Prabowo Subianto visited a settlement near the railway tracks in Pasar Senen, Central Jakarta, in March.

During the visit, Prabowo heard residents’ concerns and pledged to accelerate the construction of decent housing for them.The planned relocation could offer families safer and more suitable homes, but moving communities that have developed around their existing neighbourhoods may also bring challenges.

For residents such as Tuti, the question is not simply whether a new home is safer, but whether it can preserve their livelihoods, social ties and connection to the communities they have known for decades.

Source: CNA

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