On 28 September 2026, the Ministry of Construction issued Consolidated Document No. 92/2026/VBHN-TT-BXD, consolidating provisions relating to the National Technical Regulation on Fire Safety for Buildings and Structures. The document contains several requirements that warrant attention when designing railway stations, rolling stock maintenance and repair facilities, and ancillary structures. The following sections highlight key technical provisions under QCVN 06:2022/BXD and the above-mentioned consolidated document.

Correctly Determining the Scope of Application of the Regulation

According to the consolidated information, the regulation applies to buildings serving transport functions, including railway stations, with a fire safety height not exceeding 50 m and no more than three basement levels.

Notably, transport tunnels and underground sections of metro systems are excluded from the scope of this regulation. Accordingly, when implementing urban railway projects, the design consultant must clearly establish the applicable regulatory framework for each component, particularly in distinguishing between above-ground stations, ancillary facilities, and underground metro infrastructure. Components outside the scope of this regulation must be designed in accordance with the relevant sector-specific technical regulations, standards, and applicable technical requirements.

Correctly determining the scope of application from the design brief and basic design stages provides the basis for selecting appropriate fire safety solutions and minimising conflicts among architectural, structural, MEP, and operational requirements.

Classification of Building Use and Fire Hazard

Classification of building use and determination of fire hazard categories are fundamental to selecting appropriate fire safety measures for railway facilities.

For passenger railway stations, the functional fire hazard category identified in the consolidated information is F3.3. This classification provides a basis for assessing requirements for means of escape, fire compartmentation, and the provision of fire protection and firefighting systems. Railway stations are also classified as public buildings for which internal fire hydrant systems and external firefighting water supply systems must be considered, subject to the applicable conditions.

For railway rolling stock maintenance and repair facilities, classification must take account of the nature of the activities performed and the specific fire hazards associated with each area. According to the consolidated information, locomotive repair facilities fall under fire hazard category D, while electric tram and electric locomotive repair facilities fall under category E.

These classifications directly affect the determination of fire resistance requirements for structural elements, measures to prevent fire spread, the arrangement of fire protection and firefighting systems, and the overall facility layout. During design, the specific processes, materials, and operational activities of each facility must be examined to ensure that the corresponding requirements are correctly applied.

Means of Escape and Passenger Evacuation

Railway stations accommodate large numbers of people, with passenger densities potentially varying significantly throughout the operating day. Accordingly, means of escape must be planned in an integrated manner, taking into account the architectural layout, passenger circulation, and emergency operating procedures.

One notable provision concerns exits serving passenger stations and large concourse spaces. According to the extracted provisions, where the specified conditions are satisfied, exits from 50% of the stair enclosures, or exits from corridors leading into a common passenger concourse that has a direct exit to the exterior, an open bridge, or a platform, may be considered compliant means of escape.

Application of this provision must be based on the specific conditions of the facility and the corresponding regulatory requirements. Compliance cannot be established solely by reference to the proportion of stair enclosures; the continuity, accessibility, and safety of the entire escape route must also be ensured.

For entrances and exits intended for railway or road vehicles, the regulation permits the use of hinged swing doors in the relevant circumstances. This provision must be distinguished from the requirements applicable to doors located along passenger escape routes.

In freight handling areas, loading and unloading platforms and yards must be provided with at least two ladders or ramps, positioned at separated locations and sufficiently far apart, to facilitate access to and evacuation from these areas when necessary.

In addition, outdoor material-handling corridors serving railway vehicles are identified as being excluded from the floor area of a storey when calculating the area of a fire compartment. This provision should be considered when determining fire compartment areas and planning the spatial arrangement of facilities used for specialised transport and loading operations.

Fire Spread Prevention and Fire Compartmentation in Railway Stations

For passenger stations with large open spaces, fire compartmentation requires close coordination among architectural design, structural design, and fire protection and firefighting systems. Large concourses, areas with high occupant concentrations, and spaces requiring openness and visual continuity can present challenges when conventional fire-resisting walls are used.

According to the provisions consolidated from the regulation, for passenger stations with Fire Resistance Rating Class I or II and Structural Fire Hazard Class S0, water curtains (drencher systems) or fire barriers with a fire resistance rating of at least E 60 may, subject to the specified conditions, be used to subdivide spaces into fire sub-compartments as an alternative to Type 1 fire-resisting walls.

For fire barriers rated E 60, the arrangement must satisfy the requirement for a fire-load-free zone with a minimum width of 4 m on both sides. This requirement should be clearly reflected in the design documentation and coordinated with the layout of interior fittings, equipment, and associated building services systems.

Another relevant provision concerns the permitted area of fire compartments in passenger stations with Fire Resistance Rating Class I and Structural Fire Hazard Class S0. According to the extracted information, restrictions on the floor area between fire-resisting walls may be waived where the building is equipped with an automatic firefighting system and satisfies the corresponding conditions specified in the regulation.

For large open spaces where fire-resisting walls cannot be installed, the regulation also refers to the use of a drencher water curtain system comprising two water-curtain lines spaced 0.5 m apart, with a discharge intensity of not less than 1 L/s per metre of water-curtain length.

The selection of water curtains as an alternative to fire-resisting walls must be assessed against all applicable technical conditions, including system configuration, water supply capacity, control functions, integration with the fire detection and alarm system, and the requirements for maintaining effective fire-spread protection. Such a solution should not be interpreted as an automatic substitute for fire-resisting walls in all circumstances.

Coordinated Design from the Early Project Stages

Fire safety requirements are directly related to multiple engineering disciplines involved in railway facility design, including architecture, structural engineering, passenger circulation, water supply and drainage, electrical systems, ventilation, control systems, and specialised fire protection and firefighting systems.

Therefore, from the feasibility study and basic design stages, the design consultant should clearly establish the scope of application of the relevant regulation, classify building use and fire hazards, develop the means-of-escape strategy, determine fire compartmentation requirements, and verify the integration of fire protection and firefighting systems with the spatial layout and proposed station operating arrangements.

Such coordination is particularly important for metro projects, which may comprise at-grade stations, elevated stations, underground stations, tunnels, and ancillary facilities, each subject to different technical conditions. The appropriate design basis must be established for each component to avoid mechanically applying requirements intended for above-ground buildings and structures to components governed by other applicable sector-specific regulations.

Improving Design Quality for Safe and Sustainable Operations

Keeping abreast of and correctly applying QCVN 06:2022/BXD, as consolidated under Document No. 92/2026/VBHN-TT-BXD, is an essential part of railway facility design. Requirements relating to functional classification, means of escape, fire compartmentation, and fire-spread prevention affect not only regulatory compliance but also architectural solutions, capital investment costs, systems integration, and the operational conditions of the completed facilities.

For design consultants, the regulation should be reviewed and applied through coordinated multidisciplinary design, taking into account the operational characteristics of each facility type and the specific safety requirements of the railway sector. This approach provides an important basis for improving design documentation, strengthening consistency in technical coordination, and helping protect passengers, employees, and property throughout the facility life cycle.

Note: This article provides a technical overview for informational purposes. For application to a specific project, the full text of Consolidated Document No. 92/2026/VBHN-TT-BXD, the relevant provisions of QCVN 06:2022/BXD, and all amendments and supplements effective at the time of design preparation, appraisal, and approval must be consulted directly.

EDITORIAL BOARD – TECCO1