When someone falls onto Tube/Subway tracks

dingodan · Apr 3, 2015

I have been reading some things about what it's best to do if you find yourself on the tracks at a tube/subway/underground station. It's quite surprising to me that the best advice involves running away from the direction of the train (if you are conscious) and getting people's attention so they can flag the driver when they enter the station. It sounds like there isn't really a good mechanism for making sure this kind of thing doesn't end in tragedy.

It seems that the first chance that a driver/conductor has to realize the situation is when they enters the station and people are waving their hands for them to stop. Could that not be better? If a person falls when a train is 15 seconds out from coming into the station, that 15 seconds could be crucial, why can there be no instant warning provided to an oncoming train?

I can't imagine it would be that expensive to use something like infrared sensors to detect something person sized on the track and immediately stop any oncoming trains, automatically, even without the need for any human input.

I would have thought it would be easy. Does anyone know about these kinds of things?

Seems much less safe than it could be to me.

Acker79 · Apr 3, 2015

Why not set up an alarm system, like a fire alarm. Someone falls on the tracks someone pushes a button and warning lights come on in the tunnel before the station, and in the station itself?

mothy · Apr 3, 2015

Acker79 said:
Why not set up an alarm system, like a fire alarm. Someone falls on the tracks someone pushes a button and warning lights come on in the tunnel before the station, and in the station itself?

That would cause lots of misuse - & delays

wehatepalace · Apr 3, 2015

Or just do what they've done at London Bridge and put glass railings at all stations, then no one can fall or jump onto the tracks.

Acker79 · Apr 3, 2015

mothy said:
That would cause lots of misuse - & delays

Aren't there alarms on trains that aren't misused? Why would it automatically happen on the tube? Especially if you have well placed cameras and a strongly enforced fine/travel ban punishment for misuse.

dingodan · Apr 3, 2015

Acker79 said:
Why not set up an alarm system, like a fire alarm. Someone falls on the tracks someone pushes a button and warning lights come on in the tunnel before the station, and in the station itself?

mothy said:
That would cause lots of misuse - & delays

Yeah, there is an emergency button sometimes, but that gets you the chance to talk to someone I believe. I originally was reading this because I saw a video of a few of these incidents (where people were saved thankfully) and I wondered why a CCTV operator couldn't react immediately, because that couldn't be abused and cause delays without good cause. But I figured that just because I am watching CCTV footage doesn't mean anyone was monitoring it live at the time. But I don't know.

beorhthelm · Apr 3, 2015

what you could have is lots of survellience cameras being monitored live by operators who can raise the alarm.

dingodan · Apr 3, 2015

beorhthelm said:
what you could have is lots of survellience cameras being monitored live by operators who can raise the alarm.

It's not a frequent occurrence. You only really need one camera, which they have anyway. & having it monitored would just be good practice.

Unless you are being sarcastic?

But that's what i thought that these things are kind of in place. Why then do even professionals who work in the industry talk about it as though the driver needs to see something at the station and react to it?

There should be a fail-safe I think, I think it would be worth it.

catfish · Apr 4, 2015

I would have thought the first thing you would do would be to crap your pants.

edna krabappel · Apr 4, 2015

I don't know for certain, but I'd guess that the vast majority of people who end up on the tracks at Tube stations are there because they've decided to be, for whatever sad and lonely reason has overcome them in life. And those people aren't, as a rule, the sort to give bystanders or train drivers fifteen seconds to react. They'll just go for it when they see the train I imagine.

Do people fall that regularly?

Pavilionaire · Apr 4, 2015

Happy Easter everyone!

desprateseagull · Apr 4, 2015

would think by now there would be some sensors on the tracks, like at theme parks, that auto stops carriages if anything unexpected touches the rail ahead..

The Optimist · Apr 4, 2015

edna krabappel said:
I don't know for certain, but I'd guess that the vast majority of people who end up on the tracks at Tube stations are there because they've decided to be, for whatever sad and lonely reason has overcome them in life. And those people aren't, as a rule, the sort to give bystanders or train drivers fifteen seconds to react. They'll just go for it when they see the train I imagine.

Do people fall that regularly?

The most recent case involved a guy going onto the tracks to retrieve a wallet / phone or something and his brother got killed trying to pull him back up. The guy himself was seriously injured but not killed.

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/lond...fell-in-front-of-oncoming-train-10142701.html

Dick Head · Apr 4, 2015

Just need to put a few signs up.

dingodan · Apr 4, 2015

desprateseagull said:
would think by now there would be some sensors on the tracks, like at theme parks, that auto stops carriages if anything unexpected touches the rail ahead..

Yeah that was what I was thinking would make sense.

hopkins · Apr 4, 2015

I watched a tv programme on New York taxis. They were secretly filming the passengers and one thing a taxi driver asked an off duty officer was what happens when somebody falls in the gap when a train is pulling in to the station ? Apparently the lower part of the body swivels round and the top stays still, so the moment the train moves away they are gonna die but are conscious at that moment so a preist is called and they are read the last rights there and then !!! Hideous. Anyway as somebody said Happy Easter.

MissGull · Apr 5, 2015

I'm possibly imagining it....but isn't there a 'pit' under the tracks, so you fall into that and it avoids you getting hit by a train....or maybe that's another country?

happypig · Apr 5, 2015

You need to run towards the oncoming train, then duck into a little alcove. At least that's what you had to do in Tomb Raider.

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