The North-South railroad passes through many residential areas in Hanoi.
For long road users have threatened to cause accidents at grade crossings by ignoring safety norms.
Motorcyclists scurry through even as a crossing keeper pulls the barrier shut on Giai Phong Street in Hoang Mai District for the arrival of a train.
“This is an everyday story, and there are days when I have to shout to make them [commuters] stop,” the keeper says.
He has to close off the road 90 seconds before a train arrives.
At a level crossing on Ngoc Hoi Street in Thanh Tri District, a taxi driver crosses the tracks despite the red light and alarm bell.
There are unmanned grade crossings where people open the barriers on their own to get through.
There are at least 100 such points along a six-kilometer stretch in Thanh Tri District.
A warning sign for commuters on Giai Phong Street is mostly ignored.
According to the police, 80% of rail accidents occur at places where tracks and roads meet.
Last year there were 10 such accidents in Hanoi, in which seven died and four others were injured.
Apart from carelessly crossing the tracks, people also encroach the area around them to sell drinks and snacks.
According to statistics from the Vietnam Railway Authority, during the week-long Lunar New Year holidays in late January, there were eight rail accidents in which five people died, three more than last year.
Four occurred at unmarked level crossings where people tried to cross when a train approached and were hit.
