Platform screen doors: Calls for MTA to retrofit subway barriers after shove tragedy
Owing to the horrific subway shove incident that resulted in the death of Michelle Alyssa Go, transit leaders have announced that they would look into the installation of platform barriers onto tracks at the Times Square subway station. This was indicated by acting MTA Chair Janno Lieber on Tuesday, January 18, following the inhumane accident.
Lieber told the reporters that the previously installed shove-preventing screen doors that the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) had derived are quite complicated and expensive. Multiple obstacles have also been faced by the authorities. Lieber told NY Post, "Platform doors are an idea that works in many places, but there are special complexities in New York."
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Lieber continued, "That said, we’re always looking for ways that we can make the system safer." In the opinion of Lieber, station ventilation and maintaining platform accessibility are potential roadblocks in 'the age of our system'. A transit spokesman also pointed out the 'misalignment of train doors' and 'column placement'. Platform screen doors have been knocked by MTA leaders previously as 'prohibitively expensive and complicated “multi-billion dollar solution.”
He further added that the Transportation Authority has formed 'track tresspass' in recent times. This working group is putting efforts into decoding the feasability of other alternatives and responses to the increase of subway track intrusions. It would be a worthwhile investment, says the experts.
Eric Goldwyn, a NYU transit researcher said, "I’m sure it is feasible. They are already retrofitting stations. If you throw platform doors in, does that cost much more?” Goldwyn made a comparitive analysis where he pointed out that in New York City the only platform barriers are on JFK Airport AirTrain but international cities like Paris, HongKong, Sofia, Bulgaria have successfully figured out the process of retrofiting ancient stations with the inclusion of platform screens.
Former Transit President Andy Byford said, "The cost to retrofit platforms in NYC (and in London) would be very high. The platforms were in most cases, not designed to carry the weight of the doors, even half height versions. Add into the mix the fact that a fair number of NYC platforms are curved and you have even more of a challenge — you’d be looking at a lot of platform rebuilds.” He added, "We concluded that the cost and disruption … was not a realistic consideration at that time and that we should focus our attention on the signaling first." Byford currently runs the transportation system of London.
For the uninitiated, Michelle Alyssa Go, a 40-year-old Deloitte employee, was shoved into the path of an oncoming train in Times Square on Saturday, January 15 by Simon Martial, 61. Martial, who admitted to killing her and was arrested later, ranted that he was God and was allowed to do it. It is, however, not known if her racial background was a factor but cops believe it to be a random attack.