Order only when there is police
Since 2018, the area north of Hanoi Railway Station has seen the emergence of sightseeing, filming and photography tourism on the railway, especially when trains pass by. After that, coffee shops have sprung up in the railway safety corridor protection area, to sell drinks to tourists.
This area has been closed and banned from business many times due to the failure to ensure railway corridor safety. Authorities have set up barriers and blocked the entrances.
However, even when the authorities, such as the militia and self-management teams, are on duty, businesses still have ways to bring tourists in. According to the "chain effect", if one business can bring tourists in, then another can too, causing chaos right on the train tracks.
Only when the police force of the ward, district or traffic police directly appeared to handle and request the dispersal, did the whole neighborhood become orderly.
"If we fine my house, will we fine other houses? Look, every house has violations," said a resident when the Hang Bong Ward Police conducted the fine on November 25.
The authorities affirmed that all violations will be strictly handled, without exception. Particularly in the railway area passing through Cua Dong ward, in the past month, the ward police have punished 5 cases of violating the railway safety corridor, with a fine of 2.5 million VND/case.
During the patrol by the Joint Task Force consisting of the Traffic Police Department, Hanoi Traffic Police Department and Hoan Kiem District Police on November 25, when the Joint Task Force was present, tourists were asked to disperse and the shops and restaurants moved their tables and chairs inside. However, as soon as the Joint Task Force left, tourists immediately "snaked" back in, and tables and chairs were placed outside as if nothing had happened.
Difficult to handle thoroughly
According to Lieutenant Colonel Vu Hung - Deputy Head of Cua Dong Ward Police (Hoan Kiem District), households living along the railway have been informed, reminded, and signed a commitment not to violate railway safety regulations. At the same time, the ward police also arranged forces to regularly patrol and control, especially before the train departs.
Through actual assessment, in October 2024, the railway area through Cua Dong ward saw the appearance of a number of coffee shops opened by households living along the railway.
Lieutenant Colonel Vu Hung also admitted that thoroughly handling violations of railway safety corridors on railway cafe streets is facing many difficulties.
"The ward police force is very thin. Weekends are usually the busiest time for the train cafe area, but we don't have enough forces to be on duty there regularly," Lieutenant Colonel Vu Hung shared.
Faced with the above situation, the commander of Cua Dong Ward Police also requested superior agencies to create conditions and arrange more support forces to ensure security, order and safety of the railway corridor more closely.
In the long term, to thoroughly handle violations in the railway coffee street area while still ensuring people's livelihoods, Lieutenant Colonel Vu Hung hopes that relevant authorities will quickly come up with appropriate and harmonious solutions.
"In fact, all households here know the train schedule to remind tourists. We have not recorded any unfortunate accidents in many years. However, to ensure security, order and absolute safety of railway traffic, we must have strict control solutions. At the same time, each resident and tourist needs to raise awareness to ensure their own safety," said Lieutenant Colonel Vu Hung.
According to information from the Traffic Police Department (Hanoi City Police), in October 2024, the unit handled 47 cases of violations of railway traffic safety order. Thereby, a fine of 17 million VND was imposed, 47 sets of documents and 1 vehicle were temporarily seized.
