The story of the man who ran against the train

Many times running in the opposite direction of the train

Although many weeks have passed, driver Ha Danh Minh (born in 1985, residing in Lang Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district) still clearly remembers the image of the level crossing guard Duong Van Kien hurriedly holding a flag and lights running in the opposite direction. If the guard had not given him the emergency stop signal that day, Mr. Minh would not be sure that the "terrible" thing would not have happened to him.

It is a mandatory rule for gatekeepers to look towards the direction of the train when it passes. Photo: An Quynh.

“At about 1:36 p.m. on August 29, 2022, when train AH11 running in the direction of Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City gave a signal to prepare to pass through the Loi bridge level crossing at Km273+620. The barrier workers were closing the road barrier to welcome the train, when at the automatic level crossing at Km273+500, about 120 meters north of the road barrier, people discovered that the truck I was driving was stuck on the railway. Immediately, the barrier officer on duty, Duong Van Kien, ran across the railway bridge, towards the automatic barrier, while running and signaling for an emergency stop. The driver of train AH11 promptly detected the signal and made an emergency stop about 120 meters from where my truck was stuck. Thanks to the emergency stop, I was lucky to escape death and the vehicle was not damaged,” Mr. Minh recalled.

Mr. Minh is just one of many victims that Mr. Kien has saved. Mr. Duong Van Kien (born in 1976, from Dien Yen commune, Dien Chau district) has worked in the railway industry for nearly 29 years. Currently, he works at the Sy market railway, Nghe Tinh Railway Management One Member Co., Ltd. During his time working, he has successfully saved many vehicles stuck at the barrier.

The image of Mr. Duong Van Kien running in the opposite direction of the train to signal the train to stop was extracted from the camera on August 29. Photo: provided by the character.

Until now, Mr. Kien still remembers clearly the shift on the morning of the end of February 2020. At around 10 o'clock, while performing the task of guarding the level crossing at Km273+620 on the North-South railway line, receiving a telegram from the on-duty officer reporting that train AH1 was passing Yen Ly station, Mr. Kien followed the correct procedures for closing the barrier. At that time, the tractor with license plate 37C - 15747, pulling a trailer 37R - 009.90, driven by driver Pham Dinh T. (born in 1989, residing in Quynh Luu district), from the residential road crossing the North-South railway, got stuck on the railway at the level crossing. The location of the tractor stuck on the railway was about 120m from where Mr. Kien was working. Mr. Kien quickly crossed the level crossing and ran towards the truck, while making an emergency signal. Thanks to that, train AH1 stopped in time about 80m away from the tractor-trailer, avoiding a serious traffic accident.

“At that time it was so urgent, based on my professional reflexes and experience, I could only run towards the train to signal it to stop, otherwise it would be very dangerous. It only took 5 minutes but it was enough to avoid the unpredictable consequences caused by a railway traffic accident,” Mr. Kien shared.

When we asked him why people called him “a man with a predestined relationship” with railway accidents, Mr. Kien just smiled and said: “It seems that every day there is an accident, it almost always falls on my shift. I am sure that any guard who feels imminent danger is ready to do their best to minimize unnecessary accidents.”

Then he told us about the most memorable memory of 2016. That time, when he had just finished closing the barrier, he discovered an old man crossing the barrier to cross the railway. However, when he reached the middle of the road, the old man fell and got stuck on the rails. At that moment, Kien ran over and carried the old man out of the rails. When they both got out, the train was just coming. After investigating, we learned that the old man was from another place, not familiar with the terrain and old, so he was completely unaware of the train coming. Immediately after that, the old man's family tried to contact Kien and the barrier team to thank them.

We asked him about the dangers that could happen when rescuing people, Mr. Kien smiled and said: “At those times, because the incident happened so quickly, it required the gatekeepers to act decisively, without thinking too much. Only when I got home and thought about it or watched the camera, did I feel scared. But that fear was not as big as professional ethics and the desire for everyone to be safe.”

The time Mr. Kien saved the most people was when he was 20 years old, after only 2 years of working. At that time, he was working at the Km270+575 level crossing on Yen Ly route. That time, at around 7pm, after hearing the operator announce that there was an upcoming TN1 train from Hanoi to Saigon, Mr. Kien started the inspection process to close the barrier when he received news from people reporting that 4km from the barrier, a 7-seat truck had broken down at the level crossing without an automatic barrier at Km266+200. He immediately rode his motorbike along the railway. When he arrived, he saw that there were 7 passengers on the vehicle and it was only 400m from the TN1 train. He quickly ran in the opposite direction of the train, turning on his lights and waving a flag to request the train to stop urgently. Luckily, the TN1 train driver recognized it in time and stopped the train nearly 50m from where the car had broken down.

Perhaps from then on, the fate of saving people came to him. After 29 years working in the industry, he has saved at least 6 cases.car stuck on railway track. Talking to us, Mr. Kien humbly shared that not only me but also railway staff in general always keep in mind to minimize human and property damage as much as possible, putting safety first.

Exemplary Deputy Party Secretary

In 1994, Mr. Duong Van Kien graduated from the Railway College and was assigned to Nghe Tinh Railway Joint Stock Company.

Mr. Duong Van Kien gives a safety signal to prepare to welcome the train at the level crossing. Photo: An Quynh.

At first, he worked at the barrier on Yen Ly road at Km270+575. In 1998, he was assigned to the barrier station at Km273+620 on Sy market road and has been working there until now.

The main job of a crossing guard is to answer the phone, carefully record the train arrival time to pull the barrier, ensuring the safety of people and vehicles when passing through the intersection. The job sounds simple, but Mr. Kien and his colleagues have to endure the pressure of time and strict regulations in the profession.

Each gatekeeper will work in “shifts”. Each shift lasts 12 hours, the morning shift starts from 6am to 6pm, and the evening shift from 6pm to the next morning. Once on “shift”, they are absolutely not allowed to leave the guard station or sleep. The work becomes even more difficult during holidays and Tet when trains increase their trips.

Mr. Kien shared: "There are times when the day shift has about 20 trains passing by; the night shift will have more, about 25 or 26 trains." Despite the hardship, he is still very optimistic, working with all his enthusiasm and responsibility for the job he has been attached to.

Each gatekeeper is required to record the exact time the train passes according to regulations. Photo: An Quynh

In 1999, thanks to always completing the assigned work excellently, Mr. Duong Van Kien was admitted to the Party when he was just 23 years old. Understanding the tasks and pioneering role of a railway party member during the restructuring period, he has constantly studied to improve his professional qualifications. He was also honored to be one of the 5 delegates representing Vietnam Railway Corporation to attend the 10th National Patriotic Emulation Congress - 2020.

In 2021, Mr. Duong Van Kien was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Minister of Transport for his many achievements in the emulation movement to ensure traffic safety and order in the period 2016 - 2020. He is also the exemplary Deputy Secretary of the Sy Market Road Party Cell.

Our conversation ended when Mr. Kien returned to his work position. Saying goodbye to "the person with the risk of railway accidents", leaving us with beautiful impressions of the busy hands recording the train schedule and the smile that never fades on the face of the railway crossing guard Duong Van Kien, who has been working his best for the peace of each passing train...