The Vietnam Railway Corporation started work to improve railwayinfrastructure on the North-South route in central Ha Tinh province onFeb. 9 following instructions from Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.
The section was seriously damaged in the historic floods and storms last October.
The 120 billion VND (6.1 million USD) project will include thereplacement of damaged tracks and an upgrade to Yen Due Station.
Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony, general director of thecorporation Nguyen Huu Bang said the section and Ru Tri dyke were sweptaway in the storm, disrupting the Thong Nhat passenger train service.
The Prime Minister has asked the corporation to upgrade infrastructurewhile ensuring technical standards were met. The work is expected toshorten travel times and improve safety.
"It is alsoexpected to facilitate transport in the region, easing the effects offloods near the Ngan Sau River over the next year.
The Prime Minister's instruction came following an accident involving atrain and six cars on Feb. 6 night in which two people were killed and26 injured.
The South-North passenger train from HCMCity hit vehicles that were travelling in the same direction on GhenhBridge in Bien Hoa City 's Buu Hoa Ward in southern Dong NaiProvince at around 8.10pm.
The Ministry of Transport has started a review of all bridges which are used by both trains and other vehicles.
Ministry statistics show that there are 10 such bridges in the countryas well as over 300 kilometres of national highways that run alongsiderailway tracks with crossings.
There are on average 60 North-South trains per day, with up to 80 in peak periods.
Chief of ministry administration Nguyen Van Cong said that they hadheld an urgent meeting with the Vietnam Railway Administration regardingthe matter.
Cong said it would take five years to separate the road and railway bridges under a development strategy.
Pham Van Binh, head of the corporation's Traffic Safety Department,said the bridges were built a hundred years ago and were often small anddesigned for primitive vehicles.
However, they are used by several kinds of vehicles and 30 to 40 trains a day.
The sector has proposed to ban vehicles from using bridges which are used by trains.
Binh added houses and advertising boards had encroached on trafficsafety corridors while the Law on Railways stipulates that the safetydistance must be a 15-metre gap.
He said 90 percent of over 1,500 railway crossings did not meet safety requirements.
In addition, the law also says that two railways cannot run parallelwith one another, but there are still 310 kilometres of track contravenethis.
Statistics from the Department of Road and RailwayTraffic Police revealed that 1,045 railway traffic accidents occurred inthe 2009-10 period./.
The section was seriously damaged in the historic floods and storms last October.
The 120 billion VND (6.1 million USD) project will include thereplacement of damaged tracks and an upgrade to Yen Due Station.
Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony, general director of thecorporation Nguyen Huu Bang said the section and Ru Tri dyke were sweptaway in the storm, disrupting the Thong Nhat passenger train service.
The Prime Minister has asked the corporation to upgrade infrastructurewhile ensuring technical standards were met. The work is expected toshorten travel times and improve safety.
"It is alsoexpected to facilitate transport in the region, easing the effects offloods near the Ngan Sau River over the next year.
The Prime Minister's instruction came following an accident involving atrain and six cars on Feb. 6 night in which two people were killed and26 injured.
The South-North passenger train from HCMCity hit vehicles that were travelling in the same direction on GhenhBridge in Bien Hoa City 's Buu Hoa Ward in southern Dong NaiProvince at around 8.10pm.
The Ministry of Transport has started a review of all bridges which are used by both trains and other vehicles.
Ministry statistics show that there are 10 such bridges in the countryas well as over 300 kilometres of national highways that run alongsiderailway tracks with crossings.
There are on average 60 North-South trains per day, with up to 80 in peak periods.
Chief of ministry administration Nguyen Van Cong said that they hadheld an urgent meeting with the Vietnam Railway Administration regardingthe matter.
Cong said it would take five years to separate the road and railway bridges under a development strategy.
Pham Van Binh, head of the corporation's Traffic Safety Department,said the bridges were built a hundred years ago and were often small anddesigned for primitive vehicles.
However, they are used by several kinds of vehicles and 30 to 40 trains a day.
The sector has proposed to ban vehicles from using bridges which are used by trains.
Binh added houses and advertising boards had encroached on trafficsafety corridors while the Law on Railways stipulates that the safetydistance must be a 15-metre gap.
He said 90 percent of over 1,500 railway crossings did not meet safety requirements.
In addition, the law also says that two railways cannot run parallelwith one another, but there are still 310 kilometres of track contravenethis.
Statistics from the Department of Road and RailwayTraffic Police revealed that 1,045 railway traffic accidents occurred inthe 2009-10 period./.
