Nghe An: Close illegal railway crossings before Lunar New Year

Death lurks

Residents of Hamlet 4, Nghi Yen Commune (Nghi Loc) have lived along the railway for many years and witnessed many accidents, but they still cannot forget the tragic railway accident in July 2017, which killed two people on the spot and seriously injured two others. These four people were in a Toyota car and were traveling towards National Highway 1 through a residential level crossing with the railway at km299+600 when they were hit by a train. The scene of the accident was a residential level crossing without a barrier; this is also a "black spot" for traffic accidents.

The closure of illegal residential roads was carried out in 6 districts, cities and towns with 39 roads. Photo: Phuong Thao

Not long before, in March 2017, a car carrying a father and his son was hit by a train on the railway crossing Dong Vinh Ward, Vinh City. The train hit the back of the car and threw it off the tracks, injuring both father and son. The reason was because the father was driving while on the phone, not paying attention, and there were no barriers on this section of the road.

Nghe An currently has more than 300 km (including all branches) of railway running through it and there are still 166 illegal residential crossings, of which 58 are over 3m wide and 73 are between 1.5 and 3m wide. Illegal crossings over railways with excessively large road widths are a threat to train safety and traffic safety in Nghe An.

However, in reality, clearing violations of railway traffic safety corridors is facing many difficulties due to the lack of awareness of households living along the railways to comply with railway traffic safety laws. State management of railway traffic safety corridors is still loose and indecisive, so many households still brazenly build high-rise buildings, make roofs, and erect advertising signs that obstruct visibility, causing insecurity for people and other means of transport traveling on the railways.

Illegal access road closure in Nghi Loc district. Photo: Phuong Thao

According to the Traffic Safety Committee of Nghe An province, in 2017, on the North-South railway through Nghe An, there were 12 traffic accidents, killing 9 people and injuring 6 people. Many accidents occurred at openings and pedestrian paths across the railway that were over 3m wide.

Strictly handle illegal level crossings
Faced with this situation, the functional sectors of Nghe An province are urgently implementing many synchronous solutions to minimize railway accidents, especially during the time when the number of people and vehicles increases dramatically at the end of the year. The most fundamental solution to minimize railway accidents is to thoroughly handle violations of railway traffic safety corridors; arrange guards at level crossings; organize barriers, build access roads to completely close illegal openings and residential roads.

Mr. Phan Huy Chuong - Deputy Chief Inspector, Nghe An Department of Transport said that in 2017, after conducting a general review of level crossings, residential paths and statistics on violations of traffic safety corridors on the North-South railway line through the area, the Department of Transport advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue a document directing districts, cities, towns and related units to strengthen traffic safety at level crossings and residential paths.

In December 2017, the Department of Transport coordinated with local authorities and 2 railway management units to successfully enforce the closure of 39 illegal residential crossings, closed 2 level crossings where overpasses had been built; narrowed and smoothly renovated 63 residential crossings to 2m; arranged guards at some level crossings, installed speed bumps, and placed warning signs to limit vehicle speed...

According to the plan, the closure of illegal residential paths and clearance of visibility at railway crossings in the province will be carried out in 6 districts, cities and towns and must be completed before the Lunar New Year 2018.

Completing the closure of an illegal residential path. Photo: Phuong Thao

Specifically, in Quynh Luu, close 2 residential paths; narrow and smooth the road surface for residential paths at 8 locations. In Dien Chau, close 1 residential path; narrow and smooth the road surface for 5 residential paths; clear trees to the east of the railway track 15m away at the residential path; widen the level crossing at 2 locations and add 2 signs on both sides of the level crossing. In addition, in Nghi Loc, close 4 residential paths; narrow and smooth the road surface for 5 residential paths. In Vinh City, narrow and smooth the road surface for 4 residential paths...

Currently, Nghe An Department of Transport is coordinating with Thanh Hoa Railway Joint Stock Company to implement Sub-project 2, according to Decision 1856 of the Prime Minister, to build service roads, build fences to close 61 illegal residential paths in Hoang Mai Town area; speed up the construction of service roads in Nghi Lien Commune, Vinh City to eliminate 5 dangerous residential paths in this area.

In addition, Mr. Phan Huy Chuong said that the functional sector and localities will continue to regularly propagate awareness of participating in railway traffic to people in many forms, because that is the most important factor in forming a culture of participating in traffic, minimizing unfortunate accidents.

Faced with the complicated situation of traffic accidents on the railway, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee has just issued an official dispatch requesting the People's Committees of districts, cities and towns where railways pass through to be responsible for directing communes, wards and towns to regularly monitor, detect and take timely measures to prevent acts of illegally dismantling barriers between roads and railways, arbitrarily opening level crossings and residential paths across railways; absolutely not allowing illegal level crossings and residential paths to arise; arranging and assigning guards, increasing the time of guarding at residential paths where accidents often occur or are at risk of railway-related accidents. For violations of traffic safety at intersections between roads and railways, when detected, the police must strictly handle them.