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Most of us who ride subways are used to there being no barriers at the edges of the platforms. Only in certain airports have we seen the floor-to-ceiling platform screens whose doors align with the train's, in the manner of an elevator. But I recently visited South Korea, and found that the subway stations in Seoul and Busan make use of these screens.
And this got me thinking -- what are the pros and cons? As I see it, it shakes out like this:
Pros:
They prevent people from falling, jumping, or being pushed from the platform onto the tracks.
They make it easier to provide climate-control in the station, since the area to be heated or cooled is enclosed instead of open to the tunnels or (in the case of elevated stations) the great outdoors.
They make the stations much quieter by muffling the sounds of the trains.
It's obvious where one should line up to be in position to board the train when it comes.
Cons:
One could get trapped in the gap between the platform doors and the train doors when they close.
As far as I could tell, the train operator has no way to visually inspect the platform to ensure that no one is caught in the doors before departing the station.
If the operator misjudges his stop, the train's doors are not aligned with the platform doors.
Obviously, installing and maintaining these screens is more expensive than not installing them.
What do you all think? Anything that I'm missing? Especially with the cons, do you think that these are realistic concerns, or have they been dealt with and I just didn't see it? Overall, do you think it's better for subway systems to have the platform screens or not have them?
One could get trapped in the gap between the platform doors and the train doors when they close.
As far as I could tell, the train operator has no way to visually inspect the platform to ensure that no one is caught in the doors before departing the station.
CCTV and sensors exist. Trains operators have way to know that something is not right.
Most often the gap between the train and platform doors is too small for someone to be trapped inside.
- All rolling stock on the line has to have consistent door spacing. If door spacing/car length is ever changed, all stations will need to have the doors redone and the whole fleet will have to be replaced at once.
- Expense - It's a significant capital expense and it's a significant maintenance expense.
- If the station isn't climate controlled, you're going to make the air within it even more stagnant.
- On a narrow platform, they will make it even more narrow. With how narrow old stations can be, especially towards the ends of the platforms, this can present a problem.
I'm not opposed to their existence, but I'm also not necessarily convinced that implementing them on old lines is a prudent use of limited capital
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