Landowners who refuse to allow railway track safety inspectors access to private property within railway protection zones will face fines under proposed rule changes. Railway operators that fail to report — or falsely report — alcohol or drug use by railway workers will also be subject to penalties.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Friday it will pre-announce proposed amendments to enforcement decrees and ministerial rules under the Railway Safety Act ahead of the law's Dec. 17 effective date, aimed at improving railway safety.
The amended law establishes a legal basis for railway operators to enter and use private land within railway protection zones — defined as areas within 30 meters of a railway boundary — and requires operators to report railway workers found to have consumed alcohol or drugs to investigative authorities.
Under the proposed enforcement decree, fines for blocking inspectors from entering land within a railway protection zone for track inspection and maintenance will be tiered by offense: 300,000 won ($215) for a first violation, 600,000 won for a second, and 900,000 won for a third.
In cases requiring urgent access, operators may notify landowners of the purpose, location and duration of entry without delay by written notice, mail or email.
Railway operators that fail to report or submit false reports on alcohol or drug use by workers such as train engineers will face fines of 1.5 million won for a first offense, 3 million won for a second, and 4.5 million won for a third or subsequent offense. Authority to impose the fines will be delegated to the head of the Railway Special Judicial Police, which oversees alcohol enforcement.
As a follow-up to the amended law's strict prohibition on consuming additional alcohol or taking medications that could affect blood alcohol levels in order to obstruct sobriety checks, the ministerial rules designate verapamil hydrochloride and erythromycin as the relevant substances. Both medications are also listed under the Road Traffic Act as substances prohibited from interfering with drunk-driving tests.
"This revision is expected to strengthen on-site response capacity during urgent railway facility inspections and significantly reduce the likelihood of railway workers consuming alcohol or drugs while on duty," said Jo Seong-gyun, the ministry's railway safety policy director. "We will do our utmost to establish a seamless safety management system and create a railway environment where the public can always travel with confidence."
smh@heraldcorp.com
