Technical Innovation Proposal

Steven Rosario, John Cuzco, 

Muhammad Hussain, and Angel Ortega

Writing for Engineering

The City College of New York

Professor Julianne Davidow

05/05/2024

Table of Contents:

Introduction​ 3

Other Engineering Innovation​ 3

Technical Description​ 4

Innovation Process​ 6

Conclusion​ 9

References ​11

Millions of people in New York City (NYC) take The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) subway daily. The most critical issue in (NYC) is the safety of the people within train stations. In January, crime in the subways increased by 45%, and Mayor Eric Adams has tried to improve safety in the subway stations by deploying 1000 more police officers to be on watch and do bag checks (Harry, 2024). Although this attempt to improve safety is a good way of protecting people from being assaulted, it’s not a good way of protecting people from being pushed onto the train tracks. The greatest concern is the reinforcement of existing barriers in train stations to protect commuters from falling onto the train tracks. It is daunting that much more should be done to protect civilians navigating through the MTA subway system. To significantly enhance the safety of civilians at MTA subway stations, the Governor of New York City must increase funding for the development and installation of more effective safety barriers.

An innovation that NYC has tried to implement to improve safety was installing yellow barriers at select train stations. In the image to the right, the yellow barriers are shown, and they were installed in January 2024 and many issues come with these barriers. One problem with these barriers is that they’re very short. Standing behind this barrier does bring some sort of protection from falling onto the tracks, (Downing, Hicks, and Fitz-Gibbon, 2024)

but you can still be pushed over the barrier. Another problem these barriers bring is the large gap between them. The gap is necessary for people to go in the out of the train, but the gap is significantly larger than the size of the doors. People waiting for the train or walking on the station can easily get pushed onto the train tracks in between the gaps of the barriers. The barriers do improve safety at train stations, but they don’t fully protect people commuting in New York City.

Now that we have outlined the issues with the current, here is a technical description illustrating a better way to protect the people:

Introduction

Platform Screen Doors (PSDs), or Railway Barriers, are essential safety features found in railways all over the world. These doors act as a physical barrier between the train platform and the railroad tracks. This barrier helps to improve operational efficiency, guarantee passenger safety, and prevent accidental falls. PSDs were created to address the growing concerns about passenger safety. Over time, they have changed dramatically, including cutting-edge designs and technologies to match the demands of the contemporary rail network. In the middle of the 20th century, the idea of PSDs was born due to the need to improve security in train stations. The original concepts focused mainly on basic mechanical barriers that offered basic fall and accident prevention. But as passenger traffic increased and urbanization grew, the demand for more advanced solutions developed. The Japanese company Nabtesco Corporation was one of the main pioneers in the creation of modern platform screen doors. Nabtesco, a company with a long history of engineering and invention, transformed the field of railway safety systems by introducing better designs and technologies into PSDs. Their efforts improved passenger safety requirements and impacted PSD development internationally. Earlier designs of Platform Screen Doors often relied on conventional mechanical systems, featuring basic sliding or swinging panels. Although these designs had some effectiveness, they lacked flexibility and utility. Newer models with electric, hydraulic, or pneumatic mechanics came forth as technology advanced, providing more customization possibilities, improved dependability, and smoother performance.

Figure #1: An image of a PSD, as seen on the left of the image, within a train station platform. (Sam Schwartz, 2022)

The Body of a Platform Screen Door

A Platform Screen Door is a safety tool that consists of a barrier, made generally from a mix of glass and a metal alloy, used to prevent access to the train track of a railway from the platform of said railway. Figure #1 above shows the visual of how a PSD would look on a railway platform. PSDs come in half-size and full-size, each with its own set of specific advantages and disadvantages. In Figure #2 on the page below, you can see that a PSD consists of several different parts, including an upper structure, a drive mechanism, sliding doors, glass panels, and an emergency exit door.

Figure #2: This image shows a more in-depth display of PSDs, highlighting their parts, including the Upper Structure, Drive Mechanism, Sliding Doors, Fixed Glass Panels, and Emergency Exit Door. (RailSystem, 1)

Upper Structure:

The upper structure is usually made of tempered glass, which provides stability and durability to the PSD. Some upper structures consist of sensors and fanlights for the operation of the PSD. Figure #3 shows an image of the upper structure which is located above the doors.                                       Figure #3: An image of the Upper Structure of a PSD,

as seen on the top of the image. (Substack, 2022)

Drive Mechanism: 

The Drive mechanism is what opens and closes the doors which are made of pulleys, sensors, belts, and motors. The sensor is typically an infrared sensor, when it detects a train is approaching the station it will activate the motor causing the gears to engage and move the doors. The doors will then slide open to allow passengers to board the train. After a certain time, the motor will reverse its direction which will close the doors which prevents access to the train. Figure #4 shows a simple overview of the automated system.

  Figure #4: A diagram of the Drive Mechanism of a PSD. (Nabco, 1)

Sliding Door:

Typically composed of tempered glass that slides horizontally through a track system to open and close the doors. The doors are guided by rollers to ensure smooth movement. When triggered by sensors it will slowly open the doors creating an opening for passengers to board the train. Figure #5 shows one of the many sliding doors that there are. ​​​​​​Figure #5: An image of the sliding 

                  doors in action. (Retrail, 1)

Fixed Panel:

Provides stability and rigidity to the overall structure which secures the sliding doors. The fixed panel helps maintain the safety of the people by creating a barrier between the platform and the tracks, preventing any accidents. Figure #6 shows a brief overview of the fixed panel.​​​​​ Figure #6: An image of a PSD that shows the large

Fixed Glass Panels. (Stanley Access, 1)

Emergency Exit Door:

Emergency exit doors serve as an additional safety feature to provide an exit in an emergency. The emergencies are manually operated and can be opened by passengers and emergency personnel when needed. It provides for rapid evacuation of passengers. In Figure #7 you can see the location of the emergency door.​​​​         Figure #7: A diagram of a PSD that highlights

          the Emergency Exit Door. (Jsmwws, 2017)

The function of a Platform Screen Door

PSDs serve a major function in modern transportation systems by acting as a physical barrier between the platform and the tracks in railway and metro stations. By stopping the ability of accidental falls onto the tracks, these doors improve passenger safety by lowering the possibility of injuries and fatalities. Additionally, by managing passenger movement, reducing stay times, and strengthening security measures, PSDs increase the efficiency of railways and train stations. hey also contribute to the overall comfort of passengers by reducing noise and air pollution in underground stations. Overall, platform screen doors are essential to providing passengers in urban transit networks with a comfortable, safe, and efficient travel experience.

Conclusion

Platform Screen Doors (PSDs) are an important advancement in railroad safety offering a solution to the problem of preventing accidents and ensuring passenger safety. From what started as a simple mechanical barrier to the state-of-the-art, highly developed systems of today, PSDs have undergone constant modification to satisfy the growing needs of railways and train stations. Driven by pioneers such as Nabtesco Corporation, these doors have experienced a dramatic change, adding pneumatic, hydraulic, and electrical mechanisms for improved performance and dependability. PSDs are an essential part of today’s transportation infrastructure, and their role in ensuring a safe, efficient, and pleasurable travel experience is only going to increase with urbanization and the need for more efficient transit.

To install these barriers many factors come into play, location, time, cost, materials, and labor. First, let’s talk about where these barriers should be installed for testing. These barriers can be implemented at the most dangerous train stations in NYC. The stations they can be installed are on the 6 train at 125^th St, the D train at Kingsbridge Rd, and the 4 train at Fordham Rd. These three stops along these three different lines are lines where you are most likely to be robbed and in the more dangerous boroughs (Eberhart, 2024). If construction to install these new barriers started at the same time at the three stations and the workers worked overnight to avoid shutting down the trains, it would roughly take about two weeks to install these barriers if workers worked overnight. The materials to install these barriers include glass, stainless steel, plastic, and aluminum. A rough cost for the installation of the barriers, labor, and materials would be $1,000,000 per station.

In conclusion, investing in the installation of these train station barriers is key to increasing passenger safety in MTA subway stations. The initial investment might seem daunting due to the cost, but when weighed against the benefits for the people, it is small in the long run. These barriers can put a stop to people being pushed onto the train tracks, ensuring the safety of commuters. Combining these improved barriers with the bag checks, more police officers, and gun detectors that are already in place, will cut down on criminal activities. The expenses made on these barriers are justified by the value of protecting human lives and ensuring the peace of mind of the people.

References: 

More subway bag checks among new safety measures, officials say. More subway bag checks among new safety measures: officials. (2024, March 5). https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/politics/2024/03/06/increased-bag-checks-in-subway-stations-on-the-way#:~:text=In%20January%2C%20overall%20crime%20in,for%20officers%20to%20be%20omnipresent

Downing, J., Hicks, N., & Fitz-Gibbon, J. (2024, January 22). “ugly” MTA Subway Safety Rails at NYC station don’t impress straphangers: ’what’s the point?’. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2024/01/22/metro/ugly-mta-subway-safety-rails-at-nyc-station-dont-impress-straphangers-whats-the-point/

The US Sun. (2022, April 12). Worst Subway Lines to Ride & part of Train you may get robbed revealed. The US Sun. https://www.the-sun.com/news/4928105/most-crime-nyc-subway-lines/

Jsmwws. (n.d.). Platform Gate. Retrieved May 4, 2024, from Jsmwws.com website: http://www.jsmwws.com/en/content/?929.html

Lifting Platform Screen Doors – NIPPON SIGNAL. (n.d.). Retrieved May 4, 2024, from english.signal.co.jp website: https://english.signal.co.jp/products/platform/new-homegate/

Moon, K. (2022, March 21). Advance Screening: Platform Screen Doors on the NYC Subway. Retrieved May 4, 2024, from Sam Schwartz: Making the Journey Better website: https://www.samschwartz.com/staff-reflections/2022/3/31/advance-screening-platform-screen-doors-on-the-nyc-subway

Nabco. (n.d.). Mechanism. Retrieved May 4, 2024, from nabco.nabtesco.com website: https://nabco.nabtesco.com/en/automatic-door/structure/

Platform Screen Doors: No barrier to success. (2007, April 19). Retrieved May 4, 2024, from Intelligent Transport website: https://www.intelligenttransport.com/transport-articles/1725/platform-screen-doors/

Portal. (2020, June 19). Platform screen door. Retrieved May 4, 2024, from Portalp.com website: https://www.portalp.com/platform-screen-door/?lang=us

Rail system. (n.d.). Platform Screen Doors (PSD). Retrieved May 4, 2024, from Railsystem.net website: https://railsystem.net/platform-screen-doors-psd/

Reece Martin. (2022, November 18). I hate the lack of platform screen doors here, and that’s just the start… Retrieved May 11, 2024, from substack.com website: https://reecemartin.substack.com/p/members-only-i-hate-the-lack-of-platform

Restrail. (n.d.). 8.4 Sliding doors at platforms. Retrieved May 4, 2024, from restrail.eu website: https://restrail.eu/toolbox/spip.php?article105

Stanleyaccess. (n.d.). Transportation. Retrieved May 4, 2024, from www.stanleyaccess.com website: https://www.stanleyaccess.com/applications/transportation

Ueda, M., Sawada, Y., & Matsubayashi, T. (2015, June 1). The effectiveness of installing physical barriers for preventing railway suicides and accidents: Evidence from Japan. Retrieved May 4, 2024, from sciencedirect.com website: https://www-sciencedirect-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/science/article/pii/S0165032715001020?via=ihub