Jan 19, 2007 7:24 am US/Eastern
Study: 40 Percent Of LIRR Platforms Have Wide Gaps
BY CLAIRE LEKA, CBS 2 NEWS
QUEENS (CBS) ―
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The MTA has posted signs like this one at Penn Station in the wake of several gap-related incidents.
Gregg Geller
The Long Island Rail Road says it's working hard to close the gap between trains and station platforms. But a disturbing survey reveals that they have their work cut out for them.
Nearly four of 10 Long Island Rail Road platforms have problems where they meet the trains, according to a new Newsday study.
The newspaper analyzed railroad records and finds that the LIRR has logged nearly 900 gap related incidents since 1995.
The LIRR now says it will be finished making station safety improvements by April 2008.
The dangerous platform problems have been in the spotlight since 18-year-old Natalie Smead was killed after falling through a gap at the Woodside station in August 2006.
Her death prompted a CBS 2 investigation, in which we found gaps as wide as 16 inches.
And Newsday now reports that tumbles through the gaps were the top cause of passenger injuries in the five-and-a-half years before Smead's death, with the exception of 2002.
The report also found that the LIRR has more gap incidents every year than Metro-North and NJ Transit.
Long Island Rail Road officials acknowledge that they've been aware of the gap dangers for years, but they insist there must be some clearance between trains and platforms.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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