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Author Topic: Never mind the gap: rubber safety device could fill void at railway stations  (Read 5719 times)
Chris from Nailsea
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« on: May 04, 2015, 21:18:40 »

From the Guardian:

Quote
Bespoke fillers designed to prevent passengers slipping between the train and platform could be rolled out after successful trial


The rubber gap-fillers were tested at Heathrow Terminal 5 and could be rolled out at stations nationwide. Photograph: Handout

The famous gap that rail passengers have been told to mind for decades could be in jeopardy after successful trials of a safety device to fill the gaps on London platforms.

The rubber devices, appropriately known as gap-fillers, are fixed to the sides of platforms near the doors and have apparently eradicated accidents during a year-long trial.

Heathrow Express, which runs trains between the west London airport and Paddington station, said the rubber strips that had been tested in Terminal 5 would be installed across its network at a cost of ^58,000, and could be rolled out nationwide on other lines.

Accidents from passengers slipping between the train and the platform accounted for almost half of the fatality risk on modern trains, the firm said, while less serious incidents caused delays while passengers were being cut free or treated.

There have been 65 such incidents on Heathrow Express in the past three years, but none in the past year when the bespoke gap-fillers were installed. A spokeswoman said passengers carrying baggage and stressed through air travel could be particularly prone to getting trapped in the small gap: ^It^s almost impossible to fathom how it happens, but it does happen and it can be really nasty. It seems crazy but that little bit of rubber makes a real difference.^

The gap-fillers, designed by an Australian company, should also make boarding easier for disabled passengers.

Heathrow Express said it was working with the Rail Safety and Standards Board and other train operating companies in developing a national platform gap-filler strategy.

However, London Underground^s dimensions could prove a challenge. ^Mind the gap^ announcements have long been a feature of the capital^s travel network since the first Tannoy warnings in 1969, and the phrase has become a staple of tourist merchandise.

Fortunately for traditionalists, if not for safety or access considerations, the curved shape of many tube station platforms, as well as the variety of trains in operation, means similar devices might not necessarily work, leaving the Underground^s gap unfilled.
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William Huskisson MP (Member of Parliament) was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830.  Many more have died in the same way since then.  Don't take a chance: stop, look, listen.

"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner."  Discuss.
LiskeardRich
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« Reply #1 on: May 04, 2015, 21:21:10 »

That's not even a gap!  Cheesy they should visit Redruth down platform if they want to see a gap.
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Chris from Nailsea
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« Reply #2 on: May 04, 2015, 21:34:12 »

Platform 3 at Bristol Temple Meads with a class 150 has always been a challenge ...  Shocked Roll Eyes Grin
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William Huskisson MP (Member of Parliament) was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830.  Many more have died in the same way since then.  Don't take a chance: stop, look, listen.

"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner."  Discuss.
Worcester_Passenger
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« Reply #3 on: May 04, 2015, 22:09:42 »

That's not even a gap!  Cheesy they should visit Redruth down platform if they want to see a gap.
Worcester Foregate Street, platform 1. Real gaps are vertical as well as horizontal.
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phile
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« Reply #4 on: May 04, 2015, 22:16:37 »

Platform 3 at Bristol Temple Meads with a class 150 has always been a challenge ...  Shocked Roll Eyes Grin

I think Platform 7 is worse if alighting.  I once had to take a leap.
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chuffed
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« Reply #5 on: May 05, 2015, 00:09:45 »

I'm glad you struck a 'p' and not a 'k' for the final letter of your final word, phile ! Roll Eyes
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LiskeardRich
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« Reply #6 on: May 05, 2015, 06:38:50 »

That's not even a gap!  Cheesy they should visit Redruth down platform if they want to see a gap.
Worcester Foregate Street, platform 1. Real gaps are vertical as well as horizontal.

Redruth down platform is both!
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Cynthia
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« Reply #7 on: May 05, 2015, 06:50:54 »

This will make boarding easier for dogs too.  I've had two dogs that have had a close call with the gap after misjudging it with their hind legs.
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Trying to break ones addiction to car travel is much harder than giving up ciggies!
TRAINMAN57
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« Reply #8 on: May 05, 2015, 07:38:58 »

Saltash on the up is somewhat challenging, its a leap of faith!!!!
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bobm
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« Reply #9 on: May 05, 2015, 08:16:29 »

This will make boarding easier for dogs too.  I've had two dogs that have had a close call with the gap after misjudging it with their hind legs.

Indeed, I have seen a guide dog fall getting off a train at Teignmouth with only prompt action by the train manager, who happened to be standing there, preventing the dog's owner from being injured.
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Palfers
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« Reply #10 on: May 05, 2015, 16:35:44 »

Saltash on the up is somewhat challenging, its a leap of faith!!!!

Saltash up side you almost need a ladder or a run and jump must be a pain for a wheelchair!
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Electric train
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« Reply #11 on: May 05, 2015, 20:21:12 »

I have seen one of the proposals for Thameslinks Farringdon Station ................. the complexity makes the Space Shuttle look like a shopping trolley
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Starship just experienced what we call a rapid unscheduled disassembly, or a RUD, during ascent,”
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