It is necessary to promptly resolve the issue of closing the residential crossing in Hoang Mai town.

Close some level crossings to reduce accidents

In 2023, on the sectionscivil level crossingCrossing the railway to enter Tan Hung block, Quynh Thien ward, there were 2 traffic accidents. Specifically, at about 1:45 p.m. on January 27, 2023, at Km240+625, train SE5 on the Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City route collided head-on with a 7-seat car with license plate 37A-362.xx. The car was carrying 5 people, crossing a residential road without a barrier from National Highway 1A to enter a residential area. Although the accident did not cause any human casualties, it caused a 2m fence to collapse, the car was severely damaged, and affected train operations and caused traffic congestion.

Then, at about 4:20 p.m. on May 2, 2023, at Km241+200, passing through Tan Hung block, a car with license plate 36A-445.xx was coming from a residential area to National Highway 1A, when crossing the railway without a barrier, due to not observing, it collided with train SE12 traveling from Vinh to Hanoi. The accident caused the car to be thrown by the train to the side of the road and was severely damaged. The car driver was taken to the emergency room by the people in critical condition.

These are two of many accidents that occurred between cars and trains in the Tan Hung area. Faced with this situation, the authorities have repeatedly inspected and decided to close some of the local level crossings in this area.

According to the plan, the level crossing at Km240+625m (Tan Hung block welcome gate) and Km241+195m, also in Tan Hung block, will be closed. After the survey, the Provincial Traffic Safety Committee has repeatedly sent documents to the People's Committee of Hoang Mai town to urgently close the level crossing at the above locations. However, after many meetings with households to narrow and close the paths through the level crossing, the local people did not agree, and at the same time, they submitted a petition to the relevant authorities to request the addition and adjustment of the barrier position and to maintain the path to the Tan Hung block welcome gate.

Present at Tan Hung block, we were led by Mr. Phan Duc Phap - Party Cell Secretary and Head of Tan Hung block to see the residential level crossings operating in the area. According to Mr. Phap, Tan Hung block has 350 households located entirely west of the North-South railway. Not to mention this western area also has a large part of Tan Thanh block residents (frequently passing through the level crossing on Tan Hung block), along with many quarries, brick factories, businesses, so the number of people and vehicles passing through the residential level crossings to reach National Highway 1A and vice versa is very large. For a long time, people have been passing through 3 level crossings in the area, of which 1 level crossing has an automatic barrier.

According to Mr. Phap, the Provincial Traffic Safety Committee had previously visited the block to survey and close some self-opened crossings, including the crossing leading to the welcome gate of Tan Hung block. The locality also proposed to relocate automatic barriers from other places to install here and to narrow the self-opened passages at some other locations. However, it has not been implemented yet.

Need to consider carefully

The proposal of the people of Tan Hung block is to keep the level crossing leading to the gate of the block, move the automatic barrier at the level crossing Km240+406m to the level crossing Km240+625m, then close the level crossing at Km240+406m. This means that in the area of ​​the block there will also be 2 level crossings with automatic barriers. Because the need for travel is increasing, especially when Hoang Mai town is implementing the development roadmap to become a city. Not to mention that these level crossings are all opened by the State, not spontaneous roads opened by the people.

In addition, people also suggested that it is necessary to soon build a system of service roads along the railway, because in reality, the service roads are not yet continuous and too narrow. If one level crossing is closed, traffic will be concentrated on the remaining paths, which will cause congestion every time a train passes.

Based on the actual recommendations of the people, the People's Committee of Hoang Mai town also proposed the Provincial People's Committee and the Provincial Traffic Safety Committee to have a plan to move the automatic barrier at the Km240+406m level crossing to the Km240+625m level crossing, then organize the closure of the level crossing at Km240+406m. After moving, the level crossing with barrier at Km240+625 is 525m away from the level crossing with barrier at Km240+100.

The People's Committee of Hoang Mai town also proposed adding an automatic barrier at Km241+195. If this location is installed, the distance to the level crossing with a barrier at Km240+625 will be 565m, and the distance to the nearest level crossing with a barrier at Km242+090 will be 895m. However, up to this point, the final handling of these residential level crossings has not been implemented. Currently, people still go through the above-mentioned level crossings every day to get to National Highway 1A and vice versa. This poses many potential risks to traffic safety.

Most recently, on April 3, 2024, the Provincial People's Committee issued Official Dispatch No. 2544/UBND-NC on strengthening measures to ensure railway traffic safety in the province. Accordingly, the Provincial People's Committee requested the Department of Transport to advise on the implementation of the Project to ensure order in traffic safety corridors and completely handle self-opened paths across railways in the province. In particular, priority is given to building the section from Km242+730 to Km243 in Quynh Thien ward, Hoang Mai town to remove 7 self-opened paths. Including: Km242+750; Km242+760; Km242+763; Km242+795; Km242+810; Km242+817; Km242+895.

In addition, the Provincial People's Committee also assigned local authorities to coordinate with railway management units to review and immediately implement measures to close and remove self-opened paths that pose a risk of railway traffic accidents. Especially at 12 self-opened paths that pose a high risk of traffic accidents. Of which, Quynh Thien ward alone has 3 points, including: Km240+730; Km241+260; Km241+395.

As for the two locations in Tan Hung block, Km240+625 (block welcome gate) and Km241+195, the Provincial People's Committee assigned the local authorities to immediately direct the implementation of warning and guard measures according to Point d, Clause 1, Article 9, Decree No. 65/2018/ND-CP.

Obviously, adjusting the location of the crossings as well as narrowing the self-opening paths is extremely necessary. Otherwise, once a fatal accident occurs, it will be a great loss not only to the victim's family but also to the whole society, because traffic accidents between trains and other vehicles at intersections are often catastrophic. If there is no timely solution, the potential risk of traffic accidents will certainly still exist.