After a serious accident in Nghe An, the Railway industry proposed to urgently remove more than 4,000 self-opened paths.

The Vietnam Railway Authority has just issued a document requesting the Traffic Safety Committees of provinces and cities with railways passing through to strengthen solutions to ensure traffic safety after a serious accident in which a train derailed and fell over due to colliding with a truck recklessly crossing an unpaved path in Dien Chau district (Nghe An) on the morning of September 25.

According to the Vietnam Railway Authority, there are currently more than 4,000 self-opened crossings on the entire national railway network, which pose a threat to safety. Therefore, localities need to proactively develop plans and roadmaps to narrow, reduce, and eliminate self-opened crossings on railways according to the provisions of the 2017 Railway Law and related legal documents.

Closing the self-opening railway crossing, section passing through Le Loi ward (Vinh city). Photo archive

"While waiting for the removal of self-opened walkways, it is necessary to arrange traffic safety personnel at self-opened walkways that pose a high risk of traffic accidents. Prioritize funding to carry out tasks under the responsibility of the locality such as: building fences, access roads, arranging security, repairing road surface structures at level crossings; Resolutely not allowing more self-opened walkways to arise," the Vietnam Railway Authority requested.

At the same time, this unit also requested the provinces to preside over and coordinate with Vietnam Railways Corporation to implement measures to narrow self-opened walkways, create flat and smooth walkway surfaces; reduce speed bumps on road sections; add road signs at level crossings; clear locations that violate sight lines and railway traffic safety corridors; and deploy the connection of road and railway traffic signals at level crossings according to regulations.

"Localities need to strictly handle organizations and individuals that allow the creation of additional self-opened walkways, the demolition of fences to narrow walkways, and the encroachment and use of railway traffic safety corridors," the Vietnam Railway Authority requested.

Self-opened path in Dien Yen commune (Dien Chau). Documentary photo

In Nghe An, according to the Provincial Traffic Safety Committee, on the nearly 100 km long North-South railway line through this province, there are 62 legal level crossings and more than 150 illegal level crossings, mainly opened by local people.

Recently, to limit railway accidents with road vehicles, the Railway industry and local authorities of Nghe An have closed more than 40 illegal residential roads, narrowed 63 residential paths and placed danger signs, paying attention to trains on all residential paths and installed 6 automatic barrier points at key level crossings.

Regarding the location of the accident in Dien Chau on the morning of September 25, the Railway Department determined that this was a self-opened crossing, with a "Watch out for trains" sign and a narrowing post, and handed it over to the local authorities for management. However, the local people destroyed and pulled out the narrowing post.

The spontaneous passageway where the railway accident occurred on September 25 in Dien Truong commune, Dien Chau district had no one on guard 24/7. Photo courtesy

Nghe An Traffic Safety Committee has sent a document requesting the locality to arrange security personnel at this location. However, the locality has not implemented it.

According to statistics from Vietnam Railway Corporation, from the beginning of 2019 until now, railway accidents occurring on self-opened walkways and along both sides of railway corridors account for 78% of the total number of cases.

Nghe An is one of the localities with the highest number of railway accidents with 8 cases, just behind Hanoi (19 cases), Khanh Hoa (16 cases), Hai Duong (10); Bac Giang, Thanh Hoa (9 cases).