Ice for the trains

Silent work

The railway route managed by Lac Son Road and Bridge is over 10km long (Km453+000-Km464+300), passing through rugged terrain from Sao Phong village, Tuyen Binh commune to Kinh Chau village, Tuyen Hoa commune. This is a route with steep limestone mountains on one side and Gianh river in front. During the rainy season, rocks from above often slide down and fall onto the railway, threatening the safety of passing trains.

Lac Son Road Supply Manager Doan Duc Dien said: “Every year, rocks from high mountains along the route fall dozens of times, at least three of which fall onto the railway, affecting the route and posing a risk of accidents for trains. To ensure safety, we have arranged for staff and workers to work 24/7, taking turns patrolling and guarding, especially when there is heavy rain. Thanks to that, for more than ten years, there has not been a single railway accident in the area.”

Lac Son Road Supply and Bridge has 31 staff and workers. Of these, 10 are maintenance workers (daily repair and replace damaged road sections), 20 are patrolling and 1 is providing food. The patrolling force is responsible for guarding 3 tunnels through the mountain (each tunnel has 3 people). The rock guarding force has 2 teams, each team has 3 people taking turns on duty 24/24 hours at locations at risk of rockfall.

The joy of the workers is to see the trains passing safely - Photo: XV

Dinh Hai Thanh, a rock guard, shared: “Rock guarding work requires high concentration. Whenever we detect a rock slide, we must quickly handle it, signal the train to stop, and then fix the problem promptly. There are nights when the rain and cold last for a long time, water pours down from the cliff, and rocks and soil rush onto the rails. To protect the route and the trains, during my shift, I have to clear the rocks on the road in the shortest time possible.”

According to the rock watchmen, many times their shifts last all night, the mountain roads are dark, there are mosquitoes and leeches biting, and the wind is cold, but they still diligently check and observe every rock phenomenon on the mountain and under the railway to give accurate warnings.

“One night, I discovered a large rock falling from a high mountain, blocking the railway. At that time, a passenger train was about to pass. Seeing the urgent situation, I ran straight towards the train as fast as I could and then signaled for an emergency stop. Fortunately, the train stopped in time, about 10 meters from the rock, without causing serious consequences,” Mr. Thanh added.

According to Mr. Doan Duc Dien, rock guarding is a particularly important task in this area. Thanks to the dedication of the workers, many landslides have been detected and handled promptly, preventing unfortunate accidents. Every time they hear the train whistle sounding to safely pass the route, the patrolling workers smile with relief. For them, that is the most precious reward for their silent work.

Quick Troubleshooting

The railway line managed by Lac Son Road Bridge and Bridge has had many rockfall incidents. A typical example was the October 2018 incident, when dozens of huge rocks fell from the high mountain, including 3 large rocks ranging from 5m ³ - 7m ³ , weighing hundreds of tons, falling at Lac Son Station. Fortunately, that rockfall did not cause any casualties or damage to the train, but over 50m of tracks No. 2 and No. 3 were severely damaged.

Lac Son road supply and demand staff and workers coordinated with other forces to deal with the rock fall on September 4, 2025 - Photo: XV

Lac Son Station Chief Nguyen Nhu Hoa said: “At that time, around 2 a.m., it was raining heavily, and the brothers at the station were on duty when they heard loud explosions. We were afraid that rocks would fall into the station, so we ran away. After regaining our composure, the station immediately issued a warning to let trains avoid each other at the two adjacent stations and let trains pass through track 1. The next morning, the unit coordinated with Lac Son Road Supply and Bridge and the company to mobilize machinery and human resources to lift the rocks on tracks 2 and 3, and replace the sleepers to reopen the routes.”

The most recent rockfall incident occurred at 6:30 a.m. on September 4, 2025. At that time, a large rock fell from above, causing severe damage to the North-South railway from Km 458+200 through Lac Son village, Tuyen Hoa commune. Fortunately, less than 10 minutes earlier, train SE1 carrying the A80 task force of Quang Tri province had also passed by.

“To overcome the situation of rockfall on the railway line managed by Lac Son Road Supply and Demand, the railway industry has installed 1 warning sensor, 2 rockfall guard posts, 1 rock barrier 120m long, and split rocks on the mountain in 3 locations (about 5,000m3). We hope that the railway industry and the authorities will continue to pay attention and invest in installing more warning sensor systems, splitting orphaned rocks on the mountain (2 locations), making rock barrier fences (2 locations, about 500m long)... so that trains can pass safely,” Mr. Doan Duc Dien wishes.

Mr. Tran Duy Song, a rock guard, recounted: “I was at the guard post when I heard a loud explosion from the top of the mountain. Then, a series of rocks fell down with a loud bang, many large and small rocks were scattered over a large area, so I reported to the unit, trying to find a way to prevent trains from passing.” At the scene, dozens of rocks fell onto the railway area, including 3 large rocks ranging from 5m3 to 7m3, weighing dozens of tons, falling down, causing 2 rails to be warped and damaged with a length of 12m, the 2 related rail ends were 76m long.

Immediately after the incident, Lac Son Road Bridge and Bridge coordinated with Lac Son Station to send signals to stop trains at both ends to transfer passengers; mobilized nearly 30 people from other sections and specialized cranes to handle the situation.

“After removing the rocks, we quickly replaced all the damaged rails and sleepers. By about 10:50 a.m., the basic repair work was completed, and the following trains were then allowed to resume their routes, bringing joy and happiness to us and the passengers,” said Dinh Ba Sy, a worker at Lac Son Road Supply and Bridge.

Spring King

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/xa-hoi/202510/canh-da-cho-nhung-doan-tau-f2f765b/