The Paradox of Signaling Technology Performance of CBI Prototypes in Hybrid Environments and Maintenance HR Readiness Based on ITCS-MS

Gadang Endrayanto (Politeknik Transportasi Darat Indonesia - STTD)
Femmy Schouten (Politeknik Transportasi Darat Indonesia-STTD)
Azhar Hermawan Riyanto (Politeknik Transportasi Darat Indonesia-STTD)
Made Happy Martin (Politeknik Transportasi Darat Indonesia-STTD)
Joewono Prasetijo (Universitas Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia)
Muhammad Popik Montanasyah (Politeknik Transportasi Darat Indonesia-STTD)

Journal of Railway Transportation and Technology
Vol. 5 No. 2 (2026): November

The implementation of Computer-Based Interlocking (CBI) in Indonesia is still at the prototype stage and requires evaluation of its reliability and maintainability. This study evaluates the CBI system at Gumilir Station in terms of reliability and the readiness of maintenance human resources (HR). A comparative case study used fault-log data (January–May 2023), a competency questionnaire, and field observation; the station was compared with a Siemens & Halske (S&H) mechanical block station using an exact rate test and Fisher’s exact test. The CBI system showed a significantly higher disturbance rate (34 vs. 8 disturbances; rate ratio 4.25, 95% CI 1.93–10.63; p < 0.001), a mean time between failures of 105.88 vs. 450 hours, and an availability of 99.53% vs. 99.89%. Disturbances were concentrated in electronic and digital components (28 of 34), largely reflecting system architecture. Maintenance HR competence was one level below the ITCS-MS requirement in all five domains (level 2 vs. 3), and staffing met only the lower bound of the minimum crew size. The nominal advantages of CBI in service time and line capacity are offset by early-life disturbances and maintenance-readiness gaps. The design cannot separate technology immaturity from an unprepared supporting ecosystem; a holistic approach is recommended.