VietNamNet Bridge – As many as 85 per cent of railway accidents across the country occur at crossings, according to statistics provided by the Viet Nam Railway Administration.

Legal crossings are opened by public authorities, and illegal ones by residents who do not ask competent bodies for permission.

The main cause of railways accidents at crossings included drivers' low awareness or by individuals who cross the railway tracks at the wrong place, said Nguyen Van Doanh, deputy director of the administration.

Moreover, many residents built their houses too close to railway tracks and encroached upon railway safety zones.

Only 750 out of the 5,400 crossings in the country were manned or have alarm systems to signal a train's arrival, a survey carried out by the administration reported last year.

The 1,700km railway from Ha Noi to HCM City crosses 3,650 roads, and 650 of them have no barriers, alarm systems or guards.

Collisions between trains and road vehicles are frequent at these places, the study finds.

After the coming Lunar New Year, the administration's Traffic Safety Division will join hands with railway management bodies to check all lines and upgrade all of their signals, alarms and barriers.

"This year we have appointed teams to manage the automatic alarm systems," said Doanh. "They will check the systems every month to ensure that the systems work well."

In previous years, the systems were checked three or four times a year.

Nearly 4,000 guards would be assigned to keep a closer watch on crossings across the country.

The administration was also considering setting up a hotline so local residents could inform officials if any alarm system was out of order, he said.

"But the most important task is to raise residents' awareness."

The administration would kick off new information campaigns to disseminate traffic rules along the railway lines. Officials would co-ordinate with the multi-media sector to publish reports and inform residents about traffic safety regulations.

Doanh said that the administration was responsible for managing the railway's infrastructure, so it would not punish people at illegal crossings or houses that were built near the railway safety zones.

"To limit illegal construction, we need the help and encouragement from local residents," he said.

The country's total railway accidents last year were 68 less than that in 2008. A total of 204 people died and 258 were injured, a decrease by three and 36 compared with 2008, respectively, according to statistics from the Viet Nam Railway Administration.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News