[RedRocket191]

@Admiral Beez

I've heard them called windscreens before... The point is that the devices we are talking about in this thread are called platform screens and they are made of glass. Westinghouse and Kaba Group manufacture the devices, and that's the name they chose.

@Prometheus

The woman from the Mother's Day Miracle crawled under the lip of the platform. That is the easiest thing to do, but is apparently not the safest. The other option is to go for the wall, or the area between the tracks. There is supposed to be more room, but you have to watch that you don't step on the third rail.

 

[Tuscani01]

Sorry, but that's a windshield, such as windshield wipers. No one says windscreen wipers. Try going to Apple Auto Glass or any repair shop to have your windscreen fixed, and you'll get some funny looks for sure, http://www.appleautoglass.com/Main/ServicesReplacement.asp

A screen is designed to screen something out, meaning, IMO, more to dilute than to entirely block something. For example, in the food business we use vibration screens with small holes to ensure inform food appearance and to collect any contaminants. On your front door you might have a bug screen to keep bugs out, but to let air through.

This subway door system should be called either a subway safety shield system, or something along those lines.

Screens aren't limited to meshed surfaces. TV screens are not made of mesh. The term windscreen is used commonly in Europe instead of windshield. I have a screen on my fireplace too, and its made of glass.

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

Generally there's an open area under the platform where you can crawl if you're down there and a train is bearing down on you.

good to know. does every station have this feature?

@Prometheus

The woman from the Mother's Day Miracle crawled under the lip of the platform. That is the easiest thing to do, but is apparently not the safest. The other option is to go for the wall, or the area between the tracks. There is supposed to be more room, but you have to watch that you don't step on the third rail.

why is it not the safest? what is the danger involved? for someone who can't walk, can i get to the wall by crawling and pulling myself with my arms? i forget but which side of the tracks has the third rail?

 

[RedRocket191]

There is apparently more room at the wall, but given the circumstances, do what you have to do to survive. I was always under the impression that going under the platform was the way to go.

The third rail is always on the opposite side of the tracks from the platform.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Screens aren't limited to meshed surfaces. TV screens are not made of mesh. The term windscreen is used commonly in Europe instead of windshield. I have a screen on my fireplace too, and its made of glass.

Fair enough. I'd like to see the barriers go all the way to the top of the platform, especially on the outside stations where you freeze and boil whenever the train dumps you off before your stop.

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

There is apparently more room at the wall, but given the circumstances, do what you have to do to survive. I was always under the impression that going under the platform was the way to go.

The third rail is always on the opposite side of the tracks from the platform.

it's always good to know this stuff. the chances of ending up in such a situation are slim but it's a possibility. knowing what to do in such a situation is always a benefit.

 

[MetroMan]

I've been obsessed with knowing escape routes since I was a kid. I thought it was general knowledge that under the yellow line there's a pretty substantial crawl space.

If I were to fall on the tracks, my first reaction would be to head for the platform so it's comforting to know that there's that spot in case there isn't enough time to get back on the platform.

 

[nfitz]

Sorry, but that's a windshield, such as windshield wipers. No one says windscreen wipers.

Many people say windscreen wipers. I've always used the term windscreen - and unlike some of the Britishisms I use (being British), I've never had a funny look from that one - not even on the many times I've had to replace the windscreen (you know, I think I go through more windscreens, than windscreen wipers!). Until this moment, I hadn't even realised it isn't necessarily what is used here.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

As a rule, Canadians don't say windscreen.

edit - I've never used a transit system that had platform screens. How accurately can subways stop so that their doors open exactly where the platform doors are? I assume platform doors are larger for a bit of 'error margin' but would it take some kind of newfangled computer signal/control to make the vehicles stop in the right spot every time?

 

[CDL.TO]

The Jubilee Line extension, the only part of the network in London with platform edge doors, doesn't have automatic operation. Drivers have to brake earlier then drive slowly so they can line the front of the train with a line on the wall, within a 1 ft margin of error.

Although the doors seem to slow down service a little, they still manage to run 24 tph on the line during the rush (a train every 2 mins).

 

[299 bloor call control.]

Most systems with platform doors have automatic operation so it doesn't matter, but as CDL said, Jubilee doesn't and the operators really have to be precise in their braking.
That said, the doors themselves are usually a foot or two wider than the train doors themselves, providing some room for error - even the ATO isn't always perfect.

 

[W. K. Lis]

When the old Eaton's store elevators were in use, with manual operation, the operator generally had to go up and down a couple of times to lineup with the floor. Even so, the operator has to say "watch your step" as the passengers got on and off the elevator.
It will be the same on the subway, to a point. It would have to have some sort of automatic lineup procedure to brake properly.

 

[nfitz]

never used a transit system that had platform screens. How accurately can subways stop so that their doors open exactly where the platform doors are?

In Montreal (where they've been using automatic train control for over 30 years), I've never seen a train miss it's normal stopping point (and you can tell where they stop, because the floor tiles where the doors are, are worn).

I assume platform doors are larger for a bit of 'error margin' but would it take some kind of newfangled computer signal/control to make the vehicles stop in the right spot every time?

A bit larger - but newfangled? No more newfangled than Montreal has been using since the 1970s. Or the Scarborough RT has been using since the early 1980s (though I can't speak to the accuracy of the SRT - haven't used it on a daily basis). Heck, the Monorail in Seattle has platform doors - though not very high, they still require accurate stopping - and that's 1950s technology.

Should be pretty straight-forward once the new ATC system is in place. The bigger problem will be how well-maintained will the platform doors be? Given the TTC's inability to keep the outside station doors operating, will one have to run inside the train-car to find a working door? I've already seen platform doors for the peoplemover at Pearson Airport marked as non-functioning.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

It'd be newfangled for Toronto, which doesn't run its trains automatically. Remember, the TTC likes to pooh-pooh what other cities/systems do/use and reinvent the wheel.

 

[unimaginative2]

That's the problem: if the TTC goes with ATC, they'll design a homemade system in-house. It's just like the stop announcement system: there are so many excellent and sophisticated systems out there that not only indicate the next stop, but also indicate future stops, travel times, potential congestion, etc. The TTC was actually bragging in the newspaper about how their system (with an LED panel that looks like they bought at Radio Shack) was designed by a TTC employee.