The hard work of a train station security guard

Safety is priority number 1

Arriving at Hanoi station on a morning in early March 2024, although the Lunar New Year transportation peak had passed and train density had decreased, from the train dispatch room to the station, the train station staff were still busy.

Train operator Phan Trung Kien presses the button to clear the track on the control tower. Photo: Ta Hai.

Mr. Pham Van Thong, Deputy Head of Hanoi Railway Station, shared that for train station staff, every task is related to passenger safety. Therefore, their work is very stressful and if an incident occurs, they will be subject to severe discipline.

For example, according to the process of receiving the Hai Phong - Hanoi train from Gia Lam station to Hanoi station, Gia Lam station will call the Hanoi station planning officer to request the route; the officer will notify the station's northern station guard to check the track from the north to the center, the station's southern station guard must also check the track from the south to the center to see if there are any obstacles.

If there are no obstacles, the guard will notify the on-duty officer, who will call the Gia Lam station on-duty officer to inform Hanoi station that it agrees to receive the train.

At the train receiving location, the station on duty will have to check and monitor the results of the switchman's work, see if the road is really clear and safe before signaling to receive the train.

After the train stops safely in the station, receiving orders from the train operator, the guard turns the switchboard, closes the track, and completes the train arrival process.

According to Mr. Thong, the safety process is very strict, the problem is the person implementing it.

To minimize the risk of insecurity, superiors must regularly check subordinates, and positions must check and supervise each other.

Many hours of intense concentration

Introducing the train running team, Mr. Thong added that the railway staff positions directly serving train running at the station include: Station train dispatcher; train on duty; shunting chief; switchman; locomotive and wagon coupling staff.

All must have degrees and professional certificates appropriate to the position.

The nature of train operation is that no matter rain or shine, you still have to go to the site to work according to plan, while the pressure to ensure train safety is very high.

I always remind myself to be proactive, careful, attentive, and work responsibly to complete the job well.

Captain of Hanoi Station Train Team Vu The Anh

When performing tasks, it is necessary to strictly follow the procedures and regulations for each position, and at the same time monitor each other to promptly detect and handle any incidents that may occur.

With Hanoi station being a first-class passenger train station, the train operating team must have 17 people/team to ensure shift changes, of which the production team must have 14 people in each position.

The team leader oversees and supervises all positions in the production department. The planning officer sits in the train operation room, receives information from relevant departments, communicates information to positions in the department and records it in the logbook...

The track duty officer must count the train cars in the station, then based on the train planning, make the shunting slips for the shunting team to carry out, specifically cutting or shunting which train car number to put on which train, on which track number, and the order of the cars.

"At large train stations like Hanoi and Giap Bat, a 12-hour production team must perform more than 100 shunting operations (a locomotive pulling a train car or a single locomotive moving with a change of direction, meaning it must run from one track to another or run and then return within the station to be counted as one shunting operation - PV), simultaneously welcoming and seeing off trains.

During the day there are few ships, at night there are about 30 on average. So we are busy all the time, very stressful," said Mr. Thong.

Worrying about low income

Also at the Hanoi station dispatch room, train team leader Vu The Anh observed the planning officer Phan Trung Kien receiving a phone call from Gia Lam station to inform him of the time to request the Hai Phong train to Hanoi station, then called other positions to work according to regulations. At the same time, he monitored the camera screen to monitor the locations in the station.

A gatekeeper welcomes the LP2 passenger train into Hanoi station. Photo by Ta Hai.

Mr. Vu The Anh said, a production team works 12 hours and rests 24 hours. Morning shift starts from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm, night shift from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am the next morning.

But you have to arrive about 30 minutes early to receive your shift, listen to the train schedule, urge and remind everyone to work responsibly, proactively, and follow the correct procedures.

In a production department, it is necessary to arrange the operations from disbanding, setting up the train, and receiving the train reasonably, especially assembling the train and setting up the train to pick up passengers, depart on time and ensure absolute safety.

After more than 10 years working as a train operator at Hanoi station, working in different positions, Mr. Phan Trung Kien said that the job has its own hardships.

As a characteristic of passenger cars, there are two electric switches on both sides of the car. Before cutting the car to pull it away, the coupler must remove them and carefully hang them in a fixed position so that when pulling the car out, it will not fall onto the road.

Because it is a passenger car, the two ends of the car are very tightly connected. To remove it, sometimes hand strength is not enough, you have to crawl down, lie under the car, and use foot strength to release the hook.

The work is hard, stressful, and responsible, but the current income is not commensurate with the nature of the work and is still difficult with the cost of living in the capital.

Like you, a level 2 duty position, only taking 1-2 shifts off, the actual income is about 8.2 - 8.5 million VND/month, including salary, meals... Young employees just starting out in the profession only earn about 7 million VND.

"Well, we have to take care of our family and two small children. But that doesn't mean we can be careless.

When working as a train operator, no matter what title or job position, safety must be determined above all.

I just hope that the railway will develop and our income will be higher...", Mr. Kien shared.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/nhoc-nhan-nghe-gac-an-toan-o-ga-tau-192240308124031981.htm