Circular No. 27/2018/TT-BGTVT on the construction and publication of load and speed orders on national railways, urban railways running concurrently with national railways, and dedicated railways.

CIRCULAR

Regulations on the construction and publication of load orders and speed orders

on national railways, urban railways running concurrently with national railways, and dedicated railways

concerning state-owned railways and dedicated railways

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At the proposal of the Director of the Personnel Organization Department and the Director of the Vietnam Registration Bureau;

Pursuant to Decree No. 12/2017/NĐ-CP dated February 10, 2017 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Transport;onconstruction and publication of load orders and speed orders on national railways, urban railways running concurrently with national railways, and dedicated railways.

At the proposal of the Director of the Infrastructure Structure Department and the Director General of the Vietnam Railway Administration;

The Minister of Transport issues this Circular stipulating for These Circulars regulate the construction and publication of load orders and speed orders on national railways, urban railways running concurrently with national railways, and dedicated railways.

PART I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation

These Circulars apply to organizations and individuals related to the construction and publication of load orders and speed orders on national railways, urban railways running concurrently with national railways, and dedicated railways.

Article 2. Applicability

This Circular applies to organizations and individuals related to the construction, publication of load orders, and speed orders on state-owned railways, urban railways running concurrently with state-owned railways, and dedicated railways.

Article 3. Explanation of Terms

1. Uniformly distributed load is the maximum permissible load calculated according to the length of railway vehicles, measured in tons/meter.

2. Axle load is the maximum permissible load on one axle of railway vehicles, measured in tons/axle.

Chapter II

LOAD ORDERS AND SPEED ORDERS

Article 4. Requirements for constructing and updating load orders and speed orders

In addition to the requirements for load orders and speed orders prescribed in the Railway Law, when constructing and updating load orders and speed orders on national railways, urban railways running concurrently with national railways, and dedicated railways, the following requirements must be met:

1. Ensuring the safety of works and railway transport.

2. Ensuring the permissible axle load, uniformly distributed load, and technical speed of stable railway works.

3. Limiting the number of speed change points within a section.

4. The length of each speed zone on the route must not be shorter than 800 meters, except for fixed slow-running points.

5. The permissible axle load and uniformly distributed load for each type of locomotive, car, and train are specified as follows:

a) For national railways and dedicated railways, they must be uniform within a section.

b) For urban railways running concurrently with national railways, they must be uniform throughout the sections and routes running concurrently with national railways.

Article 5. Basic contents of load orders

1. Basic contents related to the construction of load orders:

a) Rail gauge;

b) Permissible axle load and uniformly distributed load of railway vehicles operating on each section, sub-section, section, and route of the railway;

c) Permissible axle load and uniformly distributed load of rescue, recovery, and construction machinery vehicles on the railway;

d) Other information related to railway vehicles operating on each section, sub-section, section, and route of the railway;

e) Branch lines connected to the main railway line.

2. Permissible axle load and uniformly distributed load on each section, sub-section, section, and route of the railway.

3. Provisions on coupling locomotives, construction machinery, and other railway vehicles for single and coupled runs on each section, sub-section, section, and route of the railway.

4. Provisions on special loads of other railway vehicles (if any).

5. Other information related to railway vehicles and railway works to guide the implementation of load orders.

6. The contents of load orders prescribed in Clause 1, Clause 2, Clause 3, Clause 4, and Clause 5 of this Article must be established for each railway route, including branch lines connected to the main railway line.

7. The design load of auxiliary works serving construction works on each section, sub-section, section, and route of the railway must comply with the published load orders.

Article 6. Basic contents of the speed command

1. Basic contents related to the construction of the speed command:

a) Rail gauge;

b) Mileage of stations, stops, locations with technical speed limits allowed for railway projects (railway plan factors, construction sites, other weak points on the route that require speed restrictions);

c) Other information related to railway transportation vehicles operating on each section, interval, segment, railway line;

d) Other regulations related to the movement, operation of rescue trains, rescue equipment, construction machinery on the railway;

đ) For construction sites permitted to have speed restrictions according to each construction phase.

2. Table of technical speed limits allowed for railway projects, weak points requiring speed restrictions on each section, interval, segment, railway line:

a) Train speed (km/h): Maximum allowable speed; slow running speed;

b) Locations where speed changes;

c) Locations specified at point a, point b of this Clause must clearly state the following information: Starting and ending mileage points; length of sections, segments, other weak points on the route that require speed restrictions on each railway line; name according to place names (if any);

d) The table of technical speed limits allowed for railway projects shall be in accordance with the model prescribed in the Appendix attached to this Circular.

Article 7. Procedures for establishing and publishing load commands, speed commands

1. For national railways and urban railways running concurrently with national railways:

a) Based on the permissible technical condition, operational capacity of the railway project, and load of railway transportation vehicles, the railway infrastructure business enterprise establishes a draft load command and speed command on national railways;

b) The enterprise entrusted with managing the urban railway running concurrently with the national railway takes the lead and collaborates with relevant units to establish a draft load command and speed command;

c) At least 30 days prior to the planned publication date, the enterprise leading the establishment of the draft load command and speed command as stipulated in point a, point b of this Clause sends it to the Vietnam Railway Administration for comments;

d) Within the latest 10 days from the date of receiving the draft load command and speed command as prescribed in this Circular, the Vietnam Railway Administration provides written comments to the enterprise leading the establishment of the draft load command and speed command;

đ) The enterprise leading the establishment of the draft load command and speed command is responsible for studying, adopting comments, perfecting the load command and speed command, and publishing them in accordance with the Law on Railways;

e) Within five days from the date of publication, the load command and speed command must be sent to the Vietnam Railway Administration, the People's Committee of provinces with urban railways running concurrently with national railways, railway transport business enterprises, and other railway business enterprises related to the implementation;

g) The load command and speed command must be publicly announced on the enterprise's website and take effect five days after the announcement date.

2. For dedicated railways, the owner of the dedicated railway independently establishes and publishes the load command and speed command on the railway line they invest in.

Article 8. Updating Load Regulations and Speed Regulations

1. Railway infrastructure business enterprises shall consider and decide to update and announce load regulations and speed regulations in the following cases:

a) When there is a change in the capacity of railway infrastructure;

b) When there is a change in railway transportation means.

2. The updating of load regulations and speed regulations must comply with the requirements stipulated in Article 4 of this Circular.

3. The announcement of updated load regulations and speed regulations shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions set forth in point g, Clause 1, Article 7 of this Circular.

Chapter III

RESPONSIBILITIES OF ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS INVOLVED IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF LOAD REGULATIONS AND SPEED REGULATIONS

Article 9. Vietnam Railway Administration

1. Participate in providing opinions on draft load regulations and speed regulations according to the provisions of this Circular.

2. Carry out the tasks of the specialized state management agency for railways in constructing, announcing, updating, and implementing load regulations and speed regulations on national railways and urban railways running concurrently with national railways.

Article 10. Railway Infrastructure Business Enterprises

1. Shall bear responsibility under the law for constructing, announcing, updating, and organizing the implementation of load regulations and speed regulations in accordance with the provisions.

2. Inspect, supervise, and guide railway transportation business enterprises, other railway business enterprises related, and organizations and individuals to strictly adhere to the announced load regulations and speed regulations.

3. Perform the rights and obligations of enterprises in constructing, announcing, updating, and organizing the implementation of load regulations and speed regulations in accordance with the provisions of the Railway Law and this Circular.

4. Inspect and supervise construction organization plans and traffic safety measures at construction sites along railway lines according to the announced load regulations and speed regulations.

Article 11. Enterprises entrusted with managing urban railways running concurrently with national railways

1. Shall bear responsibility under the law for constructing, announcing, updating, and organizing the implementation of load regulations and speed regulations in accordance with the provisions.

2. Inspect and supervise other railway business enterprises related and organizations and individuals to strictly adhere to the announced load regulations and speed regulations.

3. Perform the rights and obligations of enterprises in constructing, announcing, updating, and organizing the implementation of load regulations and speed regulations in accordance with the provisions of the Railway Law and this Circular.

Chapter IV

IMPLEMENTING PROVISIONS

Article 12. Effective Date

1. This Circular takes effect from July 1, 2018.

2. Circular No. 78/2015/TT-BGTVT dated December 9, 2015, issued by the Minister of Transport regarding the construction, issuance, and announcement of load regulations and speed regulations, and train schedules on national railways shall cease to be effective from the date this Circular takes effect.

Article 13. Transitional Provisions

In cases where load regulations and speed regulations were constructed and announced before July 1, 2018, they may continue to be implemented until new load regulations and speed regulations are announced or the existing ones are updated.

Article 14. Implementation Organization

The Director of the Ministry's Office, the Inspector General of the Ministry, Heads of Departments, the Director of the Vietnam Railway Administration, Heads of agencies, organizations, and individuals related shall be responsible for enforcing this Circular./.