Sakalibel railway bridge

Sakalibel railway bridge is a railway bridge over the Keruh river, located in Bumiayu, Brebes Regency, Central Java. The bridge was originally named Kali Keruh Bridge, and is the longest railway bridge in Operation Area V Purwokerto. It has the building wisdom number 1153, and is located about one kilometer from the east of Bumiayu on the central line of Java. With a length of about 298m and a backdrop of mountainous scenery, Sakalimolas is popular as a photo spot, especially for train lovers (railfan).

On 18 March 1972, One of the pillars of the Sakalibel railway bridge collapsed due to the strong current and overflow of the Keruh River. At that time, a train was about to cross the collapsed bridge. Fortunately, the train was stopped by residents of Adisana Village who alerted the driver about the collapsed bridge. For the residents' efforts, the Government of the Republic of Indonesia gave appreciation to 6 representatives of the Adisana Village residents on 28 March 1972 by giving them a certificate of appreciation and 30,000 rupiah in cash. In addition, they also received a gift from the National Railway Company (PNKA) in the form of free train tickets to all routes and a gift from President Soeharto in the form of 6 buffaloes. And, as a form of gratitude to the residents of Adisana Village, the Government of the Republic of Indonesia established Adisana 1 Primary school which is located not far from the Sakalibel railway bridge.^[1]

Meanwhile, the collapsed concrete pillars on the Sakalibel Bridge were replaced with steel pillars. The bridge repair process lasted until July 1972, although the Sakalibel Bridge was ready for trains to cross in June 1972 and was inaugurated on 16 June 1972, by Minister of Transportation Frans Seda along with the inauguration of SDN 1 Adisana.

Along with the construction of a double track railway between Purwokerto and Prupuk, the Sakalibel railway bridge which uses a steel frame was replaced with a new building constructed of concrete and changed its name to Sakanenem.^[2] The new concrete bridge also contains two rail tracks, while the old bridge is no longer in use.

Here's train that crossing the Sakalibel railway bridge:

• Cirebon Prujakan–Kroya railway