JAKARTA: For years, families living in shack houses beside active railway tracks in Central Jakarta’s Tanah Abang district timed their lives around passing trains.Conversations in their homes - most of which are built less than 5m from railway lines - are interrupted by the rumble of carriages, which during rush hour can be as frequent as every five to 10 minutes. Children playing near crossings or on tracks against the backdrop of Jakarta’s skyscrapers know to step aside every time they hear a distant rumbling noise - a signal that a train is about to pass.Residents whom CNA spoke to said they have become accustomed to the noise and danger of living next to active railway tracks.Drink seller Tuti Lestari, who has lived beside the tracks since birth, said she does not mind her current living situation.But the 47-year-old acknowledged that accidents do happen, especially among those unfamiliar with the area and train schedules.“There are … accidents. If someone doesn't know the routes and just walks (across the tracks),” said Tuti. She added that there is about one accident per year, resulting in a person being killed while crossing the railway tracks.
Tuti Lestari outside her house next to active railway tracks in Central Jakarta, Indonesia, on Jul 13, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Ridhwan Siregar)
