The Gap

The infamous gap between the platforms and trains is now a huge media topic on Long Island. As many seasoned commuters have an almost sixth sense about the gap, many occasional riders really haven't a clue, especially if they are intoxicated. The problem has been with us for years, but with the death of nineteen-year-old Natalie Smead at the Woodside station last year, momentum has built up to try and address the problem.

But the LIRR has no real plan to eliminate this problem. They are employing a multi-faceted strategy to mitigate risk of another accident, which includes labeling platforms, making announcements on trains and moving platforms and/or tracks closer where possible. However, it's just a matter of time before another rider, possibly inebriated after a night of partying in the city, finds his or herself getting wedged into the gap after stepping off the train.

Syosset Station Track One, according to the MTA "presents our greatest gap-related challenge because of its curvature and because it is not a terminal station. " The gap at Syosset has five passenger discharge locations where the gap exceeds 10 inches.

The root of the problem is not the actual gap itself - this can be eliminated. The real problem is the LIRR's inability to innovate and find a creative solution to the problem. Their culture just does not allow it and this is why they need an outside consultant to advise them.

In fact the MTA already has a solution in place for curved and banked platforms at the Union Square (pic) and South Ferry (pic) subway stations - it's an electro-mechanical bridge that extends to the doors of the train after it stops in the station. Once the bridge is fully extended over the gap, the doors of the cars are opened.

So why can't this design be adapted to LIRR Stations with excessive gaps?