YOGYAKARTA —— The Yogyakarta railway crossing at KM 541 on line 737 is always busy. During Ramadan, the number of people crossing the tracks increases, especially in the hours leading up to the breaking of the fast. That afternoon, Tuesday (5/4/2022), in front of the JPL 737 guard post, a man stood tall, waving his hand at the passing train. His body, which had been facing the front of the train, turned slightly to the left so that he was now facing the middle of the train.
“Tettttttt!” The train’s horn blared as the engineer expressed his gratitude to Mulyadi (48), the JPL 737 guard who was on duty at the time. Mulyadi has been doing this every day for 20 years. Mulyadi and his colleagues take turns doing this every eight hours. In this area, there are always many people crossing the tracks.
According to Mulyadi, during Ramadan, more people cross the tracks. Especially when it is almost time to break the fast. “I have been here the longest, more than 20 years. We work 8 hours a day, but we take turns. We have to be on duty 24 hours a day. Sometimes we work at night, sometimes during the day. Now all the officers here have passed the certification to become railroad crossing guards,” said the father of three.
Mulyadi said that he has experienced many ups and downs during his 20 years of guarding railroad crossings. He feels that things are much better now than they were 20 years ago when he first started working. The attention and appreciation from KAI towards railroad crossing gatekeepers is now very good. Whereas in the past they were looked down upon, now as railroad crossing gatekeepers they have better rights and welfare.
Mulyadi and his colleagues’ duties do not stop at closing the railroad crossing gates. He still has to check whether there are any vehicles under the gates that could potentially be crushed by them. After the gates are completely closed, he remains standing outside the post to welcome the arrival of the train. In addition, he stands guard to ensure that no vehicles break through the railroad crossing gates.
What he regrets is when people still stubbornly cross the tracks as the train approaches. At that moment, he feels very annoyed. Sometimes he has to shout or even run to approach people like this. Although some people think he is fierce, many others appreciate his firmness in carrying out his duties.
“I get annoyed with stubborn people. They have been warned that the train is coming, but they still cross the tracks. But I am always firm and sometimes I have to shout. Thank God, during my watch, there have been no serious incidents. But there was once someone who was hit, but not badly, they just got a shock and fell,” he said.
He then explained that when someone is stubborn and more than 100 meters away, he lets them be. “Because it’s impossible to reach them,” he said. “At most, I just yell at them. If they’re less than 100 meters away, I can still run and pull them back.”
“One night, I was working the night shift. I yelled at him to move aside, but he still stood in the way. I immediately grabbed his hand and stepped on his foot so he couldn’t continue walking. I was angry at him, but I was also happy that I was able to save his life,” he added.
At this crossing, the guard post is equipped with a train crossing system. Even with the help of this equipment, Sutikno admits that the guard’s duties have not decreased because the equipment still has to be controlled manually. Even so, he is a little worried that one day all systems will be digital and automated. The reason is that if that happens, there is a possibility that there will be a reduction in human labor.
“Everything is still manual. Except for the warning system, which turns on automatically, like an alarm. If you open the gate, you have to do it yourself,” he said, pointing to the control panel, explaining the meaning of the codes displayed on the alarm lights to the Dompet Dhuafa team.
To recognize Mulyadi’s efforts, Dompet Dhuafa, thanks to the donors who care, presented him with a Ramadan gift package on Tuesday (April 5, 2022). Joy immediately showed on Sutikno’s face. He prayed that the kind-hearted people at Dompet Dhuafa would always be blessed with health and prosperity. (Dompet Dhuafa / Muthohar)