"Hidden danger" of level crossings

(Baonghean) - The North-South railway line passing through Nghe An province is nearly 100 km long, but there are as many as 195 level crossings where people cross the railway. Many of these crossings have their visibility obscured by houses, trees, and advertising signs. Furthermore, many road users speed and fail to observe traffic rules.

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In light of this situation, the Department of Transport, the Provincial Traffic Safety Board, and the Nghe Tinh Railway Management Company Limited recently conducted on-site inspections and surveys. Based on these findings, several measures were proposed, including: sending official letters to districts, cities, and towns with railway lines to clear the visibility on both sides of the road and railway; requesting relevant units to allocate funds for the installation of missing railway signage; requesting the Vietnam Railway Corporation and the Vietnam Railway Department to upgrade existing level crossings without guards to guarded crossings (fences, guard posts) at dangerous locations where traffic accidents frequently occur; proposing the construction of access roads; laying crushed stone to create smooth passages across the railway; painting speed bumps and stop lines on the road; installing fences and guard posts, etc. However, addressing these infrastructure shortcomings remains difficult due to a lack of investment capital. Therefore, relevant authorities need to prioritize funding. Prioritize investment in high-risk level crossings. Simultaneously, local authorities need to proactively improve visibility. Only then can we minimize the "hidden dangers" of traffic accidents at level crossings between roads and railways.

Vinh Hoang