Bai Gio railway tunnel expected to open on April 22

More than 250 workers and engineers work through the night

This morning (April 16), Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Danh Huy held an online meeting with the field working group, agencies, units, and the two provinces of Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa to discuss a plan to fix the collapse of the Bai Gio railway tunnel as quickly as possible, ensuring absolute safety.

Reporting at the meeting, representatives of the units under the on-site working group that are directly handling the incident said that Bai Gio tunnel (tunnel No. 23) on the route Km1230+991 - Km1231+385 of the Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City railway line (located in Dong Bac village, Dai Lanh commune, Van Ninh district, Khanh Hoa province) has a length of 393.72m, is a level II railway tunnel. The tunnel is currently being solidified, with funding from the medium-term public investment plan for the period 2016-2020.

Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Danh Huy requested units to focus resources on handling the collapse of the Bai Gio railway tunnel with the "4 on-site" principle according to emergency situations (Photo: Ta Hai).

On April 12, the contractor received a blockade order from 9:32 to 13:32 on the same day to carry out construction at Km1231+089.48 to Km1231+090.73. At about 12:45 on the same day, while demolishing the old tunnel lining concrete, a weak stratum collapsed on the tunnel arch, the volume of rock and soil falling down was about 150m3, disrupting railway train operations; there were no casualties or damage to construction equipment.

Immediately after the incident, the investor, supervisory consultant, and construction contractor immediately coordinated with Vietnam Railway Corporation and related units to blockade the Hao Son - Dai Lanh section, divert road traffic on the tunnel to implement steps to handle the collapse.

By about 03:30 on April 13, 2024, the landslide had been basically removed to prepare to put the A-type support frame into the collapsed position and spray concrete. However, due to the complex geology above the tunnel lining (weathered rock), the landslide continued to fall, not ensuring the safety of people and vehicles continuing to participate in the handling work.

Therefore, the parties involved have implemented many other solutions to put frame A in the collapsed position but could not do so. The mass of weathered soil and falling rocks filled the cross-section of the tunnel.

Through inspection and survey, it was found that the collapsed material contained rocks of various sizes and strongly weathered rocks in the form of sandstone/gravel. Up to now, large rocks have filled the hole in the tunnel dome with a volume of about 150m3. The geology at the top of the tunnel is in the form of stacked rocks, intertwined with each other, creating large voids.

Therefore, during the night of April 13 to the morning of April 14, the relevant parties including the Department of Construction Investment Management, Vietnam Railways Department, Vietnam Railway Corporation, Project Management Board 85, TEDI, and the construction contractor continued to survey and meet to propose solutions, the principle of which is to stabilize the tunnel and inside the tunnel for treatment.

Specifically, on April 15, the collapsed soil mass in the tunnel was reinforced by spraying cement mortar on two open sides, inserting anchors to create cells to spray cement mortar pressure to solidify loose soil and rock and create hard bones; at the same time, on the top of the mountain, at the location of the collapsed tunnel, drilling was conducted to explore the geology and the condition of the sinkhole inside to inject cement mortar into the collapsed soil as well as fill the collapsed void to stabilize the soil and rock mass on the top of the tunnel, preventing further collapse.

After the foundation has been stabilized, today (April 16), we will prepare anchor drilling equipment, high pressure grouting machine, mixing station, anchors... to proceed with drilling and inserting anchors into the mouth of the sinkhole and pumping high pressure grout to create stable adhesion. Then proceed to gradually dig and remove the collapsed soil and rock in the tunnel, and install the support frame as you dig to hold it.

After installing all the support frames in place, proceed with grouting and concrete lining the tunnel as per the approved design. The expected plan is to complete the treatment by April 22 to open the North-South train route.

At the meeting, the units were determined to fix the problem as quickly as possible, setting a target of completing the plan by April 22, opening the North-South railway through the incident location (Photo: Ta Hai).

"It is expected that Song Da 10 contractor will gather a line of equipment, construction machinery, materials and more than 20 officers and workers at the site at 4:00 p.m. this afternoon, and can deploy at the construction site by tonight.

Along with that, there are about 80 employees of Construction Investment and Construction Joint Stock Company 3, more than 100 employees of railway units such as Phu Khanh Railway Joint Stock Company, the unit managing the route, the railway exploitation branch... sending about 250 employees to the construction site to focus on handling and fixing the problem day and night 24/7. The goal is to complete the project ahead of schedule," said a representative of the field working group.

Mobilizing human resources to transport more than 13,000 passengers

Mr. Tran Thien Canh, Director of Vietnam Railways, who is currently directing at the scene, said that railway units have blockaded the Hao Son - Dai Lanh section, and have closely coordinated with local authorities and functional forces to organize road traffic flow in the tunnel to deploy steps to handle the collapse to ensure security and order during the incident handling process. At the same time, organize the transportation of passengers and goods.

The railway organized the safe transport of more than 13,000 passengers.

According to Mr. Dang Sy Manh, Chairman of the Board of Members of Vietnam Railway Corporation, on average, the railway transports 10 trains/day. As of last night (April 15), it has organized the transport of more than 13,000 passengers on 38 passenger trains from Tuy Hoa station (in Phu Yen province) to Gia station (in Khanh Hoa province) and vice versa; providing free meals and drinks... Continuing to organize passenger trains according to the plan for selling passenger tickets, combined with improving the quality of passenger transport organization.

Regarding goods, due to the incident, 77 freight trains were blocked. The railway had to negotiate with the shipper to transfer the goods, and has so far transferred 16 trains through the incident area, prioritizing fresh, frozen and express goods.

"This is an incident beyond our ability and control, so the damage to railway transport is very large. The Corporation recommends that all levels consider funding sources for support. To minimize damage, we recommend that localities arrange transport vehicles to ensure the quantity and conditions for passenger service; recommend that competent authorities exempt road use fees for vehicles transporting passengers and goods through Deo Ca tunnel...", Mr. Manh suggested.

Mr. Manh also suggested that after the Bai Gio tunnel collapse incident is resolved, the competent authority should consider allocating capital for step 1 reinforcement for 12 weak tunnels on the route that need to be prioritized for treatment with an estimated cost of less than 500 billion VND. There is also a plan to handle 27 weak tunnels on the entire Thong Nhat railway line.

Establish a forward command team

Appreciating the efforts of the units and the support of the localities in promptly handling and overcoming the incident, Deputy Minister Nguyen Danh Huy said that immediately after the incident on April 12, the Ministry of Transport directed the forces to organize and implement the solution.

On the morning of April 13, the Ministry of Transport reported to the Prime Minister; the Prime Minister issued telegram No. 37, in which he assigned the Ministry of Transport to urgently direct the mobilization of all resources to promptly overcome the collapse of Bai Gio tunnel, and urgently reopen the route as soon as possible. The Ministry of Transport also sent a document to the Traffic Police Department, the police of Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa provinces, and related units, requesting them to be on duty at the scene 24/7 to promptly have solutions to handle the situation in order to quickly and drastically implement the Prime Minister's instructions.

Units are working to resolve the issue.

Regarding the next plan and direction of handling, Deputy Minister Huy emphasized that through analysis and assessment by the field working group with the participation of leading experts and construction units, the parties agreed that Bai Gio tunnel has very complex geology, has been under construction for a long time, the structure has degraded and the possibility of landslides is completely within the forecast of the State management agency since 2020.

An incident occurred during the process of consolidating Bai Gio tunnel. The process of consolidating the tunnel strictly followed the construction regulations for the North-South railway project currently operating and organizing train operations. Therefore, the incident did not cause any human casualties.

Regarding the principles of handling the Bai Gio tunnel incident, the Deputy Minister requested that it be handled according to the "4 on-site" principle according to the emergency situation. At the same time, ensure 5 requirements: earliest route clearance; fastest mobilization of forces; most creative solutions; absolute safety for officers, engineers, and workers participating in the repair; units concentrate the highest resources to construct 24/24 hours in accordance with the direction of the Prime Minister.

Regarding the solution, based on the proposal of the consultant and the field working group, we basically agree with the plan proposed at the meeting. However, to implement it as soon as possible and as quickly as possible, the Deputy Minister requested the establishment of a forward command team led by the Deputy General Director of Project Management Board 85 - the project investor; directing to ensure safe construction 24/24 hours, periodically meeting daily with the Working Group of the Ministry of Transport. Establish a Working Group of the Ministry of Transport led by the Deputy Minister, meeting daily to grasp the construction progress hourly and daily, and provide timely instructions.

"Assign the forward command team to clearly define the responsibilities of each unit, divide the workload during the incident response construction process with three main units, namely Song Da 10 Company, Construction Investment and Construction Joint Stock Company 3, and Phu Khanh Railway Joint Stock Company. Mobilize machinery, equipment, supplies, materials, human resources and be responsible for ensuring all finances during the repair construction process. Board 85 mobilizes additional units to ensure sufficient and timely materials during the repair construction process.

Board 85 coordinates with the Department of Construction Investment Management to complete procedures to ensure the rights and legitimate interests of participating units. However, it is also necessary to ensure compliance with legal regulations, avoid loss, waste, and take advantage of troubleshooting for personal gain.

"The functional agencies and units of the Ministry of Transport shall resolve all proposals of the working group, advise the Ministry's leaders to make decisions within no more than 24 hours, and must have a written response to ensure the progress of the construction to fix the incident, with the goal of completing and opening the road as soon as possible," Deputy Minister Huy assigned the task and requested the Vietnam Railway Corporation to direct units to carry out the transportation of passengers and goods in a convenient manner, with the least impact on customers, ensuring security and safety.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/du-kien-22-4-thong-ham-duong-sat-bai-gio-192240416140630437.htm