What is the solution to fix nearly 1,000 potential railway traffic safety risks?

The results of the implementation of the task of ensuring traffic safety and order in 2025 and the direction and tasks for 2026, which have just been sent by the Government to the National Assembly, show that there are still 5 black spots and 988 potential traffic safety risk points on railway lines. Implementing Decrees 65 and 56 on ensuring railway safety, the Government also requires localities to proactively intervene, allocate funds to handle violations of corridors, and eliminate self-opened paths.

Eliminated 326 self-opening aisle locations

According to the traffic safety report sent by the Government to the National Assembly , in the first 9 months of 2025, there were 78 railway-related accidents nationwide, killing 53 people and injuring 20. Compared to the same period in 2024, there were 27 fewer accidents, 18 fewer deaths, and 5 fewer injuries.

Railway traffic accidents have been gradually reduced over the years in all three criteria.

Along with that, the inter-sectoral sector has implemented measures to improve traffic safety conditions at level crossings between roads and railways, such as closing fences and removing 326 dangerous self-opened walkways on railway lines; narrowing fences at 1,110/1,479 self-opened walkways that need to be narrowed (75%); placing "Attention to trains" signs at 2,604/2,718 self-opened walkways (95.8%); organizing traffic safety vigilance at 342/481 intersections (71%); placing signs restricting motor vehicles at public self-opened walkways with a width of more than 3m at 166/743 locations (22.3%).

Implementing the direction of the Ministry of Construction , the Vietnam Road Administration and local Departments of Construction have repaired and installed 2,054/3,226 W210 signs, 163/171 W211 signs, 468/1440 243a, b, c signs at level crossings; built bumps and speed bumps at 740/1,365 railway-road intersections; connected and maintained road-railway signals at 55 level crossings. However, up to now, there are still 5 black spots and 988 potential traffic safety risks on the railway lines.

In 2025, the railway sector is implementing repairs and complete additions to the information and signal systems at the remaining 184 level crossings. To date, investment preparation work has been completed, contractor selection has been completed and construction is underway, with the expected completion date in November 2025.

After completing the upgrading, renovation and repair, the level crossings put into operation ensure smooth traffic and increase the ability to pass through the level crossing; people and vehicles participating in traffic through the level crossing are provided with full and timely warning information about trains arriving at the level crossing, contributing to enhancing traffic safety, minimizing and preventing traffic accidents at the level crossing.

Localities need to proactively arrange budgets to handle and clear violations.

Information from the Vietnam Railway Authority added that recently the Authority has organized inspection teams to inspect the situation of railway traffic safety work in the provinces on the North-South route to evaluate the results of implementing the management of traffic safety corridors and measures to ensure safety at self-opened railway crossings. Through on-site inspection, it was found that there are still many locations violating land, corridors, and railway construction protection areas, which need to be cleared and eliminated according to Decree 65/2018 and Decree 56/2018.

Typically, the North-South railway line passing through Da Nang City is more than 131km long, passing through 26 communes/wards. Implementing Decision 358/2020 of the Prime Minister, by the end of August 2025, the city has eliminated 20 self-opened paths; maintained traffic safety vigilance at 18 dangerous self-opened paths, contributing to reducing railway traffic accidents. In the first eight months of 2025, there were 5 incidents, a decrease of 3 incidents, equivalent to a decrease of 38% compared to the same period.

However, the results of eliminating self-opened paths are still low, with only 20/79 self-opened paths being eliminated, only reaching 25.3% of the requirement. The situation of encroachment and illegal use of land reserved for railways in the area is complicated, with many cases arising in 2025: Violations of the protection area and railway traffic safety corridor occurred at 1,319/1,278 locations, an increase of 41 cases compared to December 2024; violations of the protection area of ​​railway signal information works were at 1,139/1,131 locations, an increase of 8 cases. In Khanh Hoa province, the situation is similar. The North-South route through the province is more than 210km long, passing through 30 communes/wards.

Over the past five years, despite the implementation of measures, only 50/192 dangerous self-opened paths have been eliminated, a low rate (26%) compared to the requirement. It is alarming that this situation is not only in some localities on the North-South route but also across the entire national railway network.

Assessing the work of ensuring order and traffic safety on railways in general, Mr. Uong Dinh Hung, Deputy Head of the Legal and Inspection Department, Vietnam Railway Authority, said that although there are still many problems, in recent times, localities have been more proactive in coordinating with the Authority and railway enterprises to implement solutions.

In particular, focusing on organizing propaganda and dissemination of laws on railway traffic safety on mass media; strengthening inspection and handling of violations of railway traffic safety corridor order in the area. Besides, Mr. Uong Dinh Hung also said that the locality needs to be more proactive.

Specifically, the People's Committees of provinces/cities with railways passing through them need to continue to direct local authorities and functional agencies/units to review road-railway intersection planning and traffic planning near railways in the area, and propose to competent authorities to add locations and scale of works that need to be newly built, renovated, or upgraded. Develop a plan and master plan to eliminate existing self-opened crossings across railways in the area...

Similarly, Mr. Tran Anh Tuan, Deputy General Director of Vietnam Railway Corporation, added that with the implementation of the Railway Traffic Safety Project and the complete handling of self-opened railway crossings issued under Decision No. 358 of the Prime Minister, railway traffic safety has been improved and had positive changes. Railway traffic accidents have been controlled and reduced gradually over the years. However, due to many objective and subjective reasons, the implementation results so far have been very limited.

According to Mr. Tuan, to promote the handling of self-opened paths, violations of corridors and protection areas of railway works, the State needs to arrange, balance and supplement necessary funding sources from the central budget, focusing on urgent items. On the local side, it is necessary to closely coordinate with the Railway sector in mobilizing and using capital sources; at the same time, proactively balance local budgets, integrating with infrastructure development programs and projects to speed up implementation progress.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/Giao-thong/giai-phap-nao-de-khac-phuc-gan-1-000-diem-tiem-an-nguy-co-mat-atgt-duong-sat--i786651/