The recent tragedies on train tracks from people being shoved or fatally jumping from platforms to their deaths has caused some MTA officials to reconsider barriers and technology to stem the carnage.
This year, as of Wednesday, 44 people were killed by trains. Last year saw 50 fatalities in all.
The 2016 death toll includes Connie Watton, 49, of Queens. A woman who has battled mental illness is accused of sending Watton into the path of a 1 train at Times Square on Nov. 7.
The most recent pushing attack was Sunday, when Aaron Clary pushed his pal into a 2 train, cops said. The victim survived with a cut to his head, but his toes had to be amputated. Clary, from New Jersey, was hit with attempted murder and other charges and was held on $500,000 bail at his arraignment Monday night.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority board member David Jones asked agency brass Monday to reconsider platform barriers — and figure out the cost, timetable and key stations where they could be installed.
“We’re all still resonating from the murder that was committed on the subway and the suicides that are, seem to be, becoming a regular part of the news,” Jones said. “It won’t eliminate all that, but clearly, as my daughter rides the train, I think many parents, young people of all ages, would be reassured with some protective devices, particularly at the overcrowded stations .”
Transit systems in London and Paris use sliding barriers on some platforms.
Transport Workers Union Local 100 Secretary-Treasurer Earl Phillips said the MTA needs to get aggressive about bringing platform doors to New York. In the meantime, the union supports a slowdown for trains approaching stations.
“The train operator who actually witnessed this stuff has to live with it for the rest of their life,” Phillips said.
MTA officials have never embraced platform barriers or doors because of their cost and potential to slow down service.
