$320M sought for building railway overpasses across Vietnam

Project Management Unit 2, which advises project management for major state-funded traffic projects, last week recommended the Ministry of Transport to invest in separation projects at 21 intersections between four railway lines—Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi-Hai Phong, Yen Vien-Lao Cai, and Hanoi-Dong Dang—and national highways in 13 provinces and cities.

The total investment for the project is estimated at VND8.15 trillion (US$324.7 million), including official development aid loans of about VND5.7 trillion for construction costs, design consultancy, construction supervision consultancy, and contingencies, and the rest from Vietnam's counterpart funding from the state budget.

If approved, the project will be implemented from 2025 to 2030.

Construction work to upgrade a section of the north-south railway crossing Ha Tinh Province in central Vietnam in 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Hung

The project aims to enhance train safety, reduce annual maintenance and operational costs of the current level crossings, eliminate road congestion at train crossings, and reduce the risk of traffic accidents.

The management unit noted that the railway's requirement for a small longitudinal slope and a system for signal and safety information makes the construction of railway overpasses over roads expensive and less feasible. Therefore, the agency proposes constructing road overpasses over railways.

Along the current railway line from north to south, many bridges, tunnels, and level crossings are deteriorating and need priority funding for reinforcement to ensure train safety.

In many cases, there are no barriers at level crossings and in reality, many accidents have happened because of that.

Most recently, on July 28, a pickup truck carrying four people including the driver crossing the railway at a closed barrier in the southern Dong Nai Province was struck by a train and thrown nearly 10 meters away, resulting in two fatalities.

In March, in the central Nghe An Province, a train collided with the rear of a truck carrying materials at an unmanned grade crossing where people often open the barriers on their own to get through in Nghi Long Commune, Nghi Loc District.

Both the train driver and the truck driver sustained minor injuries, and the train's engine was deformed.