Over 46.7 trillion VND (2.2 billion USD) is needed to build and upgradefacilities at crossings between railway track and roads on nine majorroutes across Vietnam by 2020, according to a plan over railroadcrossings approved by the Ministry of Transport.
Under the plan, nine main routes include Hanoi- HCM City, Yen Vien townin Hanoi-Lao Cai province, Hanoi - Lang Son province's Dong Dang town,Hanoi's Dong Anh - Thai Nguyen province's Quan Trieu, Hanoi's Gia Lam -Hai Phong, Bac Giang province's Kep town - Quang Ninh province's Ha Longcity, Kep town - Hanoi's Luu Xa, Hanoi's Bac Hong commune - Hanoi's VanDien and Yen Vien - Cai Lan.
The plan targetsbuilding 57 viaducts and nearly 400 railroad crossings, upgrading over560 crossings, and erecting over 500km of barriers to separate railwaytracks from roads or residential areas.
Vicechairman of the National Committee for Traffic Safety Nguyen Hoang Hiepsaid that the implementation of the plan from now until 2020 wasnecessary in joint efforts to improve traffic safety in Vietnam.
Each year, the number of people dying in railway accidents accountsfor about 2 percent of all deaths in Vietnam, and a majority of railwayaccidents reportedly happen at crossings, especially at illegally-builtcrossings, he said.
At present, Vietnam hasnearly 3,200km of railway with about 6,000 railroad crossings. However,just 1,000 were built legally while the rest, illegally as shortcuts byhouseholds who live along railways, he said.
Moreover, proper barriers separating railway track and roads wereerected at only one-third of the 1,000 legal crossings, and onlyone-third are equipped with warning signals, the other locations haveneither barriers or warning signals, he said, adding that poor railfacilities posed high traffic risks.
Hiep saidthat under the plan, more roads running parallel to the railway would beopened to reduce the number of illegal crossings.
At crowded traffic points, viaducts or vaults could be built, hesaid, adding that last month, the construction of the project's firstthree viaducts were kicked off in northern Ninh Binh province, centralNghe An province and southern Dong Nai province.
Hiep urged localities to take more drastic measures to control safetyat crossings, as it was likely that they failed to oversee theconstruction of the illegal crossings. The number of illegal crossingsincreased from 5,300 in 2011 to 6,000 last year.
Head of the Vietnam Railway Corporation's Railway Safety ManagementBoard Pham Van Binh said that each year, it spends over 10 billion VND(474,000 USD) to correct the problems related to traffic and railways.
Moreover, he said that some accidents damagedtrains, causing them to change schedules or arrange other trains tocarry passengers or goods.
"Too many railroadcrossings lack automatic warning systems and commuters lack properawareness, which is a threat to traffic safety," he said.
In July, a train from Hanoi to Hai Phong derailed after a collisionwith a container truck in northern Hai Duong province. It was reportedthat the driver crossed the railway without noticing the approachingtrain, causing an accident which claimed no loss of life but blockedtraffic on the route.
Residents living near thescene in the province's Hong Lac commune said that they saw many fatalaccidents involving trains and other vehicles due to the lack of anyseparating barriers there.-VNA
Under the plan, nine main routes include Hanoi- HCM City, Yen Vien townin Hanoi-Lao Cai province, Hanoi - Lang Son province's Dong Dang town,Hanoi's Dong Anh - Thai Nguyen province's Quan Trieu, Hanoi's Gia Lam -Hai Phong, Bac Giang province's Kep town - Quang Ninh province's Ha Longcity, Kep town - Hanoi's Luu Xa, Hanoi's Bac Hong commune - Hanoi's VanDien and Yen Vien - Cai Lan.
The plan targetsbuilding 57 viaducts and nearly 400 railroad crossings, upgrading over560 crossings, and erecting over 500km of barriers to separate railwaytracks from roads or residential areas.
Vicechairman of the National Committee for Traffic Safety Nguyen Hoang Hiepsaid that the implementation of the plan from now until 2020 wasnecessary in joint efforts to improve traffic safety in Vietnam.
Each year, the number of people dying in railway accidents accountsfor about 2 percent of all deaths in Vietnam, and a majority of railwayaccidents reportedly happen at crossings, especially at illegally-builtcrossings, he said.
At present, Vietnam hasnearly 3,200km of railway with about 6,000 railroad crossings. However,just 1,000 were built legally while the rest, illegally as shortcuts byhouseholds who live along railways, he said.
Moreover, proper barriers separating railway track and roads wereerected at only one-third of the 1,000 legal crossings, and onlyone-third are equipped with warning signals, the other locations haveneither barriers or warning signals, he said, adding that poor railfacilities posed high traffic risks.
Hiep saidthat under the plan, more roads running parallel to the railway would beopened to reduce the number of illegal crossings.
At crowded traffic points, viaducts or vaults could be built, hesaid, adding that last month, the construction of the project's firstthree viaducts were kicked off in northern Ninh Binh province, centralNghe An province and southern Dong Nai province.
Hiep urged localities to take more drastic measures to control safetyat crossings, as it was likely that they failed to oversee theconstruction of the illegal crossings. The number of illegal crossingsincreased from 5,300 in 2011 to 6,000 last year.
Head of the Vietnam Railway Corporation's Railway Safety ManagementBoard Pham Van Binh said that each year, it spends over 10 billion VND(474,000 USD) to correct the problems related to traffic and railways.
Moreover, he said that some accidents damagedtrains, causing them to change schedules or arrange other trains tocarry passengers or goods.
"Too many railroadcrossings lack automatic warning systems and commuters lack properawareness, which is a threat to traffic safety," he said.
In July, a train from Hanoi to Hai Phong derailed after a collisionwith a container truck in northern Hai Duong province. It was reportedthat the driver crossed the railway without noticing the approachingtrain, causing an accident which claimed no loss of life but blockedtraffic on the route.
Residents living near thescene in the province's Hong Lac commune said that they saw many fatalaccidents involving trains and other vehicles due to the lack of anyseparating barriers there.-VNA
