Asia Pacific
EN
From trackside shacks to new homes, Jakarta families weigh what comes next
['Kiki Siregar']
Channel NewsAsia Asia Pacific News
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.
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.
She added that there is about one accident per year, resulting in a person being killed while crossing the railway tracks.