Hanoi Train Track Café now closed amid safety concerns
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The decision has caused public controversy, with some saying the Hanoi Train Track Café should continue to exist in order to attract visitors, particularly as it is a unique tourist destination.
Meanwhile, many people have complained that the existence of these cafés is extremely dangerous because accidents could happen at any time when a train passes by
According to relevant traffic laws, the safety corridor of the railway is regulated to be 3 metres, but in fact residential houses are only 2 metre from the edge of the outermost rail.
Local residents there have built makeshift coffee shops in order to make a living and to capitalise on the trend. Many foreign tourists visiting Hanoi usually drop in for check-in photos or a cup of coffee.
In 2019, a Hanoi – Hai Phong express train was forced to make an emergency stop at the train track café for more than a minute in order to wait for tourists to move out of the area around the rail tracks.
Train drivers state that they are highly nervous when the train passes through the narrow street. As a result, they usually only go at around 20 km/h and use their horn continuously though the maximum speed of 25km/h is allowed.
Some people argue that the Hanoi train track café is a distinctive tourism product of the capital that makes a practical contribution to the local economy.
However, others note that the cafés only bring in a small amount of money, with tourists risking their own safety for some check-in photos, meaning that it should be closed for safety reasons.
Following the local administration announcing its decision, some coffee shops along the narrow street have been forced to close.
Some foreign tourists arrived for a cup of coffee in the morning before relevant forces erected railings.
A local resident says the coffee shops are normally owned by retired railway employees who made use of the space to earn a living. “I expect the local administration will have a policy to support our business and at the same time to ensure safety,” she says.
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