Eliminate these "deadly cut-off points".

Railway accidents have continued to occur frequently in many localities recently. Most recently, on the evening of March 8th, an accident occurred in the Ngoc Hoi area (Hanoi), resulting in one fatality. Not long before that, the SE3 train also collided with a truck at a level crossing in the Van Dien - Thuong Tin area, killing the truck driver.

One of the biggest risks to railway safety is unauthorized level crossings. According to railway statistics, after six years of implementing the project to ensure order in railway safety corridors, nearly 1,600 unauthorized crossings have been eliminated nationwide. However, by the end of 2025, the entire network will still have more than 2,400 unauthorized crossings out of a total of nearly 4,000 road-rail intersections.

The reason is that the construction of alternative infrastructure (such as access roads, underpasses, overpasses, or legal level crossings) is behind schedule. Of the more than 650km of access roads planned, the railway sector has only completed less than 9% to date. The number of underpasses and overpasses replacing unauthorized crossings is also very low. According to the initial plan, the complete elimination of unauthorized crossings should have been completed by 2025. However, due to many difficulties in investment capital and implementation, this deadline has been extended to 2030.

However, the risk of accidents doesn't only lie in unauthorized crossings, but also in level crossings with automatic warning systems. In fact, many accidents occur because road users deliberately cross despite warning signals being active or after the barrier has been lowered. Just one careless act of disregarding regulations can lead to serious consequences.

When railways intersect with roads, the risk of traffic accidents is always very high. To minimize the risk of accidents, first and foremost, the railway industry and local authorities need to prioritize allocating resources to invest in alternative infrastructure (such as overpasses, underpasses, access roads, and buffer zones). At the same time, relevant agencies need to strengthen surveillance at dangerous intersections that cannot be eliminated immediately.

In particular, the railway sector needs to coordinate with local authorities to promptly and definitively address violations of railway safety corridors (such as the persistent existence of railway-side cafes in Hanoi ). Finally, more attention should be paid to strengthening public awareness campaigns to improve compliance with traffic laws among road users.

Railway accidents will continue to occur if dangerous "level crossings" persist throughout the network. Eliminating unauthorized crossings, upgrading safety equipment at high-risk level crossings, and re-establishing railway safety corridors are tasks that cannot be delayed any longer.

This requires decisive action from ministries, departments, and localities, along with the compliance of road users. Only when these "deadly crossings" are eliminated will the railway safety corridor be truly guaranteed.

MINH DUY

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/xoa-bo-nhung-diem-cat-tu-than-post842067.html