Circular 01/2010/TT-BGTVT: Railway works in Vietnam required to withstand storms and floods

Circular 01/2010/TT-BGTVT: Railway works in Vietnam required to withstand storms and floods (Illustrative image)

Article 16 of Circular 01/2010/TT-BGTVT stipulates that all railway works must be capable of withstanding the impacts of floods, storms, incidents, and natural disasters. From the phase of survey and design, compliance with the regulations in applicable Standards and Technical Regulations is required, and the following provisions must also be adhered to:

- Study the topography and geomorphology of the construction area and the basin, as well as the formation of upstream structures that affect the railway construction. Collect complete statistical data on rainfall, flow rate, water level rise, wave erosion, tides in coastal areas, wind pressure, and consider the situation of floods, storms, incidents, and natural disasters in the region. Pay attention to historical data and conduct geological exploration drilling at the construction site to serve as a basis for design works.

- Choose an appropriate construction location, materials, and structure types to withstand storms and winds.

- Perform hydrological calculations according to the design flow rate; design calculations must ensure the stability of the entire structure and individual components against storms and winds. Design according to Standards and Technical Regulations, but also consider the effects of global and regional climate change; the impact of irrigation, hydropower, agricultural and fishery works, and human activities like deforestation and material exploitation, which affect the environment changes in the construction area.

- When designing bridge spans, avoid narrowing the natural flow of rivers and streams to prevent impacts on flood discharge, damage to the bridgehead, and scour of bridge piers and abutments. Calculate the scour depth under the piers and abutments to determine the foundation level deeper than the riverbed after scouring to a safe depth depending on the foundation type. Pay attention to designing revetments to direct flow, slope paving for embankments and approach roads, and constructing fender posts on the upstream side of bridge piers to block floating debris from hitting the piers directly.

- For road structures, fully calculate drainage gutters (longitudinal gutters, transverse gutters, and summit gutters) with sufficient drainage area for the water flow during heavy rain and floods.

- The railway bed elevation must be higher than the highest calculated water level during storms and floods. If it is inevitably necessary to allow water to temporarily overflow the railway bed, special design measures should be taken to protect that section, such as slope and shoulder paving to prevent erosion, and reinforce the railway bed to support the load passing over in waterlogged conditions.

- The slope of railway embankments must be appropriate to the height of the embankment type (cut or fill), geological type, and stratigraphy; ensuring stability in adverse conditions such as floods, storms, and heavy rain when both surface water and groundwater impact the structure.

- Invest adequately in scientific research to apply new technical advances to create constructions capable of withstanding the impacts of floods, storms, incidents, and natural disasters. Study the hydrological and hydraulic laws of rivers and the flood and storm patterns of each region to propose reasonable structures against floods, storms, incidents, and natural disasters in each area.

See more details at Circular 01/2010/TT-BGTVT, effective from February 25, 2010.

Nguyen Phu

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