In the period from 2015 to 2023, the Ministry of Transport allocated over VND 1,600 billion from the state budget to renovate and upgrade level crossings.
Prior to this, most railway road traffic safety projects according to Decision 994 have not been implemented due to difficulties in capital during the period from 2014 to 2020, the state budget did not allocate for the compensation of land acquisition for railway safety corridors, the construction of road markers, the construction of fences separating the road and the railway…
The level crossings for residential areas on Le Duan Street (Hanoi) pose potential risks of railway accidents.
From 2015 to 2023, the railway sector has completed the upgrade of 1,060 level crossings. Specifically, 226 level crossings out of a total of 291 level crossings that violate the regulations on level crossings according to the Prime Minister’s direction have been upgraded, renovated, and repaired. During the implementation of the upgrade according to Decision 994, the remaining 65 level crossings have been invested and constructed with various sources of capital.
In addition, 452 passive level crossings have been upgraded and transformed into automatic warning level crossings equipped with automatic barriers and level crossings with gatekeepers; 382 out of 566 level crossings were completed with a budget of VND 600 billion.
For the remaining 184 level crossings, the Ministry of Transport has proposed to the Prime Minister to extend the implementation period of the Plan to restore railway safety corridors according to Decision 994 (the Plan) until the end of 2025 and allocate funding to continue the repair, and complete the information system, and signals in the plan.
To ensure effective implementation of the work to restore railway safety corridors in the period 2021 – 2025, the Ministry of Transport recommends that Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha issue instructions or official letters from the Prime Minister to require ministries, departments, and localities to concentrate on efficiently implementing the project.
In terms of implementation funding, it is proposed that localities with railways prioritize the allocation of funds from the local budget to construct road fences to eliminate self-opened passages through the railway on the local areas or allocate funding from the central budget to localities according to each authorized project approved by authority.
The Ministry of Transport also proposes that the Government direct the Ministry of Finance to implement the assigned tasks in Decision 358; prioritize the allocation of economic funds for railway operations in 2024 and subsequent years to continue the upgrade, renovation, repair, and full equipage of information systems, signals at the intersections between roads and railways to ensure convenience for travel and safety for people.
