Jakarta  - Two passenger trains collided near the Indonesian capital Tuesday, killing one person and injuring 50, a railway official said.

An express train slammed into an economy train that had stopped because of engine trouble, said Sugeng Priono, a spokesman for the state-run railway company Kereta Api.

"There was a signal, but we don't know why the express train ignored it," Sugeng said.

The fatality was an assistant driver of one of the trains, he said.

Both trains were bound for Jakarta from Bogor, 50 kilometres south of the capital.

Indonesia's dilapidated railway system has seen improvements in recent years, but accidents are common.  (dpa)