Manual to Improve Rail Transit Safety at Platform/Vehicle and Platform/Guideway Interfaces (2017)

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5 C H A P T E R 1 Background Travel by public transit is one of the safest modes of transportation, yet incidents have resulted in injuries and sometimes fatalities at rail transit platform/guideway and platform/vehicle inter- faces. There is no national database that provides specific details on rail transit platform/guideway and platform/vehicle interface incidents and detailed information about these events is not routinely shared by rail transit agencies. This manual is based on a comprehensive literature review, data analysis, and responses received from transit industry members. The manual provides rail transit agencies with informa- tion and guidance for treatment strategies to improve safety at rail transit platform/guideway and platform/vehicle interfaces. Project Objective The objective of this research was to develop a manual for practitioners to improve safety at rail public transportation platform/guideway and platform/vehicle interfaces. The research results will help transit agencies develop or select treatment strategies to prevent incidents and improve safety at platform/guideway and platform/vehicle interfaces. This research is focused on rail transit systems with level or near level boarding where the vehicle floors are level or near level with the platform. Factors That Affect Safety at the Platform/Guideway and Platform/Vehicle Interfaces Factors that affect safety at the platform/guideway and platform/vehicle interfaces include the following: • Platform gap geometry • Curved track and superelevation • Platform height • Vehicles • Rail transit operations • Passenger characteristics and behaviors Platform Gap Geometry The characteristics of the platform/guideway and platform/vehicle interfaces include the hori- zontal and vertical gap between the platform and the vehicle. A platform gap is the horizontal Introduction

6 Manual to Improve Rail Transit Safety at Platform/Vehicle and Platform/Guideway Interfaces and vertical space between the vehicle floor and the edge of the station platform. The platform gap results from geometric and design constraints. Platform gaps may be present on older rail transit systems (often referred to as legacy systems) or on rail transit vehicles that are not com- patible with the platform. Other factors that contribute to platform gaps include the following: • Condition and geometry of the track • Condition and age of the rail vehicle wheels • Rail car suspension • Passenger loading Curved Track and Superelevation Curved track adds additional complexity to platform/guideway and platform/vehicle inter- faces, and this is exacerbated where superelevation or tilt of the track is added. Superelevation of the track is used to permit smoother and faster travel around curves. Superelevation occurs at stations located on curves where freight and express trains, such as long-distance Amtrak trains, operate non-stop through the stations. Higher pass-through speeds also increase rail car sway, requiring even larger physical clearances to avoid platform strikes. Platform Height The height of the platform measured from the top of rail also influences the severity of platform/guideway and platform/vehicle interface incidents. Low height platforms such as those less than 15 in. from top of rail do not have as many reportable incidents as high height platforms (27). A high height platform is generally considered to be greater than 36 in. from top of rail. Vehicles The types of rail transit vehicles examined during this project include streetcars and trams; light rail transit; and heavy rail transit that included both commuter and subway trains. All the vehicles varied in width, length, height, suspension, door types, configurations, and propulsion systems. The project focused on vehicles that have level boarding with no interior steps at the boarding door; however, the vehicles may have had bridges, ramps, or extended door thresholds. Rail Transit Operations Rail transit operations identified a number of factors that influence the safety of platform/ guideway and platform/vehicle interfaces. These factors include adjusting station dwell times, providing specific stop locations on platforms, zonal door closing schemes, and increasing staff during peak hours and on crowded platforms. Operations also include training employees to help them recognize risk factors associated with platform/guideway and platform/vehicle interfaces. Other operational aspects are outreach, education, and marketing. Some of these factors involve (a) onboard vehicle and platform visual and audio gap warning systems and (b) col- laboration with public and private organizations to conduct education and outreach programs to reduce passenger incidents. Passenger Characteristics and Behaviors Passenger characteristics that contribute to platform/guideway and platform/vehicle interface incidents are gender and age. The passenger behaviors that contribute to incidents are disruptive behavior, distracted behavior, and trespassing.

Introduction 7 Organization of the Manual The manual is organized into nine chapters. Chapters 1 through 5 describe the factors that influence platform/guideway and platform/vehicle interface safety. Chapters 6, 7, and 8 describe treatments that improve platform/guideway and platform/vehicle interface safety. Chapter 9 includes the key findings and suggestions derived from the project activities. Chapter 1—Introduction. Chapter 1 describes the manual and the project background. Chapter 2—Rail Transit Issues That Impact Platform/Guideway and Platform/Vehicle Interface Safety. Chapter 2 provides background discussion of rail transit modes and the regulations and standards that impact the safety of the platform/guideway and platform/ vehicle interfaces. Chapter 3—Platform/Guideway and Platform/Vehicle Interface Incident Characteris- tics and Rail Safety Programs. The chapter provides a summary of incident characteristics, describes rail platform interface safety programs, and summarizes incident reduction program data from three commuter rail systems. Chapter 4—Factors That Impact Safety at Rail Transit Platform/Guideway and Platform/ Vehicle Interfaces. This chapter outlines the platform, track, and vehicle characteristics that impact safety at the platform/guideway and platform/vehicle interfaces. Chapter 5—Passenger Characteristics and Human Behavior That Impact Safety at Platform/Guideway and Platform/Vehicle Interfaces. This chapter summarizes research and incident data that describe passenger characteristics and behaviors that impact the safety at platform/guideway and platform/vehicle interfaces. Chapter 6—Treatment Strategies to Improve Safety at the Platform/Guideway Inter- face. This chapter discusses the treatment strategies that improve safety at the platform/ guideway interface. Chapter 7—Vehicle-Based Treatments to Improve Safety at the Platform/Vehicle Inter- face. This chapter discusses vehicle-based treatments that improve safety at the platform/ vehicle interface. Chapter 8—Operational Treatments and Modifications of Passenger Behavior to Improve Safety at Platform/Guideway and Platform/Vehicle Interfaces. This chapter describes key operational treatments to improve safety at the platform/guideway and platform/vehicle inter- faces. In addition, the chapter highlights public relations, outreach, and training programs that have been instituted to improve safety. Chapter 9—Key Findings and Suggestions. This chapter contains key findings, conclu- sions, possible improvements, and suggestions for further research that were derived from the project activities.