Protective Platform Doors

Gothamist: https://gothamist.com/news/nyc-set-to-i ... ing-months

Not a lot of details as to how they will function.

MTA set to install protective platform doors at select subway stations in ‘coming months’

The city will begin constructing protective screen doors at three subway station platforms “in the coming months,” Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesperson Aaron Donovan told Gothamist on Sunday.

The protective barriers are part of a pilot program meant to stop riders from falling — or being pushed — onto the train tracks. The program, which was announced last year, comes in response to several high-profile incidents, including one resulting in the death of Michelle Go, who was shoved onto the Times Square subway tracks last year.
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The protective platform doors are set to be installed at the Times Square 7 train, the Third Avenue L train and the Sutphin Boulevard-Archer Avenue E train stop. The Platform Screen Door Pilot Installation program is estimated to cost more than $100 million, according to one report.
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https://new.mta.info/press-release/mta- ... intrusions

MTA Announces Multi-Pronged Efforts to Address Track Intrusions

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced a multi-pronged approach to protect passengers from the risks of trespassing on the tracks within subway and commuter rail systems. On December 10, 2021, the Authority launched a Track Trespassing Task Force to study solutions aimed at reducing track intrusions, which have increased throughout the transit system by 20 percent between 2019 and 2021 and resulted in 68 fatalities last year. The task force released its findings to the MTA Board during the Authority’s February meeting and recommended a series of communications, operations, and capital initiatives to enhance customer safety and prevent service disruptions.

The task force analyzed data on intrusions and collisions, established a new tracking method for more detailed information as to the causes and impacts of people entering tracks. It conducted a survey of homelessness in the system and reviewed previous studies, including the Platform Screen Doors feasibility study released last month. A full report on the task force’s findings will be released next month.

"The MTA wants to deal with this problem of track intrusions in all of its complexity,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “It's not just the violent assault we saw last month, which was a horrific version of this problem, but also everyday incidents of people retrieving cell phones or trying to cross between platforms. It's a huge risk to safety and the day-to-day operation of the system. We began looking at this issue last fall and have come up with a number of proactive strategies that are moving forward.”

“The Task Force looked comprehensively at the problem of track intrusion and identified practical solutions involving improved customer communications, security and outreach, and innovative technology solutions,” said MTA Construction & Development President and Track Trespass Task Force Lead Jamie Torres-Springer. “Our recommendations will educate riders about the risks of getting on the tracks, prevent intrusions, and reduce injuries and fatalities.”

The initiatives presented to the MTA board will build on the Authority’s ongoing efforts, which include messaging campaigns, in-station Help Points, platform edge warning strips and Laser Intrusion Detection Systems. The MTA announced the following recommendations broken into three key categories: Customer Communications, Operations and Capital Improvements.

Capital

The first major recommendation put forth by the task force is a Platform Screen Doors pilot program at three subway stations: Times Sq , 3 Av and Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av-JFK . The three stations selected represent a mix of different platform configurations that serve a high volume of riders.

In addition to the platform screen doors, the task force recommends piloting new Track Intrusion Detection Systems using advanced technology to alert train operators when people or objects enter tracks. To reduce track intrusions in subway tunnels, the Authority will also look to expand Laser Intrusion Detection Systems to secure critical tunnels.

The Platform Screen Door pilot announcement follows an extensive survey of all 472 subway stations that found significant constraints that would prevent a systemwide roll-out of platform screen doors. The survey showed just 41 of 472 stations—approximately 8 percent of the subway system — can be retrofitted with platform screen doors today, and another 87 would be feasible after train cars have been standardized through 2033.

For the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North, the task force recommended securing end of platform areas and railroad’s rights-of-way by adding and repairing fencing and signage. In addition, live video from forward-facing cameras will provide a new way to warn train operators of obstructions.

Operations

The MTA will work with State and City partners to enhance mental health outreach and platform safety. In collaboration with New York State Office of Mental Health Services’ Safety Options Support (SOS) teams, there will be a more targeted approach to clear encampments within the system, helping to prevent people from entering the tracks. Additional NYPD deployments announced as part of the Subway Safety Plan will address circumstances that may lead to riders on the tracks, and the MTA has identified priority stations where intrusions are most prevalent to the NYPD, so officers can be surged to those platforms.

To improve incident response, the MTA is deploying video analytics to better use existing platform CCTV cameras to monitor and intervene in dangerous behavior at stations. Additionally, the MTA will explore installing front-facing cameras on subway trains for real-time monitoring. The Authority is working with the Transit Tech Lab, an initiative of the Partnership for New York City, to conduct a proof-of-concept to assess effectiveness of front-facing cameras on the line with results expected by this spring.

Customer Communications

The MTA will create a layered messaging campaign warning customers of the dangers of being on the tracks and educating riders on the importance of not standing close to the platform edge, taking advantage of video screens across the subway system.

The Authority will partner with local and national experts, including those at NYU’s Department of Psychiatry, to improve suicide prevention messaging in order to create new deterrents to voluntary track intrusions.

Given how many times people throw themselves and/or other people in front of a subway car, it would be worth it.

Not sure about cats, though. When was the last time we had subway kittens stop the trains?

Almost a full ten years ago:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nat ... y/2736251/


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Everyone - Interesting news about testing platform doors - I noticed one of the stations is going to be the E train Sutphin Boulevard/Archer Avenue station in Jamaica - connect point for the LIRR and the JFK AirTrain - which was constructed with platform doors at all of their stations...

The problem is for platform doors to work properly there has to be a subway car fleet that have the same length on their sides between doors - or operate with a single car type. I recall that subway cars are assigned to a route for the specific shop facility access in their maintenance.

If this test works out equipping the entire system with a standard side door fleet along with every station is going to be a multimillion dollar effort by the MTA that is going to take some time...MACTRAXX

BumblebeeTransfer wrote: ↑Tue Jun 06, 2023 4:37 am

STrRedWolf wrote:Given how many times people throw themselves and/or other people in front of a subway car, it would be worth it.

Not sure about cats, though. When was the last time we had subway kittens stop the trains?

Almost a full ten years ago:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nat ... y/2736251/


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Spoke too soon: https://nypost.com/2023/03/28/nypd-resc ... yc-subway/

But back to less feline topics...

MACTRAXX wrote:Everyone - Interesting news about testing platform doors - I noticed one of the stations is going to be the E train
Sutphin Boulevard/Archer Avenue station in Jamaica - connect point for the LIRR and the JFK AirTrain - which
was constructed with platform doors at all of their stations...

The problem is for platform doors to work properly there has to be a subway car fleet that have the same
length on their sides between doors - or operate with a single car type. I recall that subway cars are assigned
to a route for the specific shop facility access in their maintenance.

If this test works out equipping the entire system with a standard side door fleet along with every station is
going to be a multimillion dollar effort by the MTA that is going to take some time...MACTRAXX

I have to wonder how the doors would be triggered. There has to be some relay and/or a manual button that the operator can push to open the platform doors before they open the consist doors. I remember that the cars aren't automated as well as WMATA's.

Having been delayed on the subway many a time for various issues has me thinking: if there is a malfunction somewhere with the platform doors, do they have a way to open them for passenger egress/ingress if the primary method of opening is malfunctioning? I'd think a manual way of opening them should be possible, but I can also see issues with passengers trying to open them on their own if there isn't some type of key/access control.

STrRedWolf wrote: ↑Mon Jun 05, 2023 2:29 pm Given how many times people throw themselves and/or other people in front of a subway car, it would be worth it.

Not sure about cats, though. When was the last time we had subway kittens stop the trains?

Spotted this guy at Prospect Park, on the shuttle track, but at the south end of the track. No chance of the 2-car shuttle running over him. The MTA guys seem to know him, because he's eating deli meat.


IMG_5267 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

BumblebeeTransfer wrote: ↑Wed Jun 07, 2023 4:32 am Having been delayed on the subway many a time for various issues has me thinking: if there is a malfunction somewhere with the platform doors, do they have a way to open them for passenger egress/ingress if the primary method of opening is malfunctioning? I'd think a manual way of opening them should be possible, but I can also see issues with passengers trying to open them on their own if there isn't some type of key/access control.

I agree with your concerns.

I still can remember the incident in the Tokyo subway from 2021. I watched the TV reports showing people climbing over the barriers.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021 ... train.html