Platform screen doors are installed on train or subway platforms to protect passengers from the tracks below, prevent accidents and suicide attempts, and contribute to a controlled temperature environment. They are most popular in Asia and Europe, but are rarely seen in North America due to cost and reluctance to inconvenience travelers.
Platform screen doors are durable glass or plastic sliding panels installed on train or subway platforms to protect waiting passengers from the tracks below. The gates generally serve as a kind of temporary wall through which passengers can see the tracks and oncoming cars, but have no way of accessing them until the trains arrive. After the train doors open, the panels on the screen doors also open, allowing boarding and disembarkation.
Security is the main reason platform screen doors are installed, and among security concerns, suicide prevention ranks high. Jumping onto the tracks before an oncoming train is a common way for people to end their lives. Cities and local governments often install platform screen doors as a means of keeping passengers safely on the platform, preventing accidental jumps and falls.
Keeping the rails and deck separate has many other advantages as well. Platform screen doors often contribute to more controlled temperature environments on indoor or underground platforms, preventing wind from the train from significantly affecting the interior environment. Gates can also help reduce the risk of things falling onto the tracks, which reduces cleanup and security costs.
Not all platform screen doors are full size; that is, not all of them extend from the floor to the ceiling. Some types of doors, known as partial screens or platform edge doors, are generally set higher than the train but leave open space at the top. These convey many of the benefits of full doors, but usually at a lower overall cost. Platform doors, on the other hand, are usually only waist high. Its main function is to prevent accidents; Intentional jumping and littering are still possible with this setup.
Platform screen doors are most popular in commuter rapid transit systems in Asia, particularly Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and many of China’s largest cities. Similar gates have also been installed at various European railway stations. The costs involved in retrofitting railway stations to accommodate subway platform screen doors are often exorbitant, because much of the rail infrastructure would need regular upgrading, wiring and testing. For this reason, many transit systems have added the gates to new construction while leaving existing stations as is.
In North America, platform screen doors are rarely seen outside of airport transit shuttles. This is partly due to cost, as well as the relative newness of many transit systems. It’s often hard to convince system operators who have only decades of involvement in major construction projects that could inconvenience travelers and lead to delays.
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