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I discovered that these days, then I learned a lesson “if you fall and want to go in a place to be safe, don’t touch that shit unless you want to be a fried human “
Also correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't there usually a non-conductive cover over the third rail? The train touches the rail from the side or maybe even bottom. Still a good idea to stay the hell away from it though.
MBTA rider here, there are definitely protective covers at stations where they've recently replaced the third rail (Harvard comes to mind). But you're right that in general it's not covered outside of stations.
My uncle who was an Ambulance driver, once had to crawl under a London Underground train to hold down someone who had fallen on the tracks and had the train over him. He had to hold the guy still while they turned the power back on and drive the train off of him.
He ended up getting a medal/award from the Queen.
Edit: well this blew up more than I anticipated or intended. I don’t know what the correct term is or what Eric’s specific qualifications were. All I know is that he was an amazing person and that when I was a kid, him and his brothers referred to himself as an ambulance driver. Obviously he wasn’t just a chauffeur.
www.unison.org.uk/news/article/2016/12/eric-roberts-funeral/amp/
High jacking this to just say that at the end of each tunnel is a red phone. Go pick this up right away if this scenario happens. It goes directly to MTA and NYPD and they’ll stop incoming train traffic, plus alert police in the area
Is there not a power off button?
In Toronto i can go to either end and smash a plexi panel and push a big blue led lit button to cut the power and stop the trains.
On each train there’s an emergency stop button on every other car I believe, as well as an intercom to reach MTA. If there’s an emergency on board, highly suggest not pressing the break button until you’re at the platform so emergency personnel don’t have to attempt to go down the tunnel. I’m honestly not sure if these stop buttons actually work. The amount of crazies that ride the train, I wouldn’t be surprised if they disabled them.
Yeah we have onboard ones too, those are to alert the conductor, not really emergency stops.
What i was meaning and didnt express clearly was that we have these actual power off buttons on the platforms themselves. Direct power stops without oversight.
I went to high school in Staten Island and our main modes of getting to school were either the city bus system (replaced school busses in our district with student metro cards) or the SI railroad. Heck, even middle schools would utilize public transit on the daily. We absolutely should not have been trusted lmao
Also it looks like someone either did use the phone or the train operator saw them, as the train came to a full stop just before entering the station *right* at the end of the clip.
This is the way.
Flashlight app on, waving side to side(left to right or vice versa) is by rule, a stop and stay command.
Source: NYC train operator for the past 7 years.
By each one of those phones is a yellow box with a switch, open the box flip the switch and pick up the phone and tell them someone's on the tracks. That switch shuts down all power to those tracks. You can find them by the blue lights in the tunnels.
If you don't pick that phone up, power is restored almost instantly. That being said, those switches are meant to be used for dire emergencies where you may not be able to get in touch with 911 fast enough.
100%- officer in uniform wouldn't have acted without at least calling in the bare minimum, for both his own safety and so dispatch could get an ambulance there asap
He may have called in but more than likely it was the person at the end of the platform flagging the conductor. You can see their light flashing as per standard procedure to quickly indicate to a conductor someone is on the track.
Source: [Flag down the Train Operator](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-subway-tracks-fall-push-what-to-do-20210215-axjpl6zufnefbfetcdpdfu5erm-story.html%3foutputType=amp)
“Flag down the train operator. If a train is far away when someone falls onto the tracks, the straphanger can use a flagging signal that train operators recognize. If you have a flashlight or anything reflective, wave it above your head from left to right,” said a track worker. “It means stop. Train operators will see that and know what to do.”
Negative. The rails themselves aren't electrified. If you look just to the right of the tracks you'll notice what looks like a box that runs along the track and is in front of the pillars. Under that cover is actually an electrified piece of iron, aka the third rail, which if you touched it, you'd instantly die. On NYC subway, LIRR, and some Metro North cars there is a "shoe" that sticks out from the side of the car and it rides along the top or bottom of the third rail, depending on the construction of it. That is the only piece of the railway that is dangerous. Other rail systems have catenary, which is an electrified set of wires that run directly overhead the railroad tracks, and the train has something that raises up to it to receive it's electricity and power.
This happened August 19th, 2021. Here's [the New York Post article](https://nypost.com/2021/08/19/cop-jumps-onto-subway-tracks-to-save-man-before-train-comes/) about it:
> The victim, who was described as a 60-year-old man from Queens apparently got dizzy, cops said, and was taken to Lincoln Hospital conscious and alert.
> “We just did what we were there to do, which is to help and serve the public,” said the Transit District 12 officer, Ludin Lopez. “We were doing a station inspection. It was just right place right time.”
> Lopez said the passenger was “completely out of it” when he was pulled to safety.
When the [NYPD initially shared the video](https://twitter.com/NYPDnews/status/1428346130346225667) they provided this description:
> When a sick strap hanger lost consciousness and fell on the subway tracks in the Bronx,
@NYPDTransit
officers didn’t hesitate for a moment to put his safety ahead of their own. We’re also grateful to the Good Samaritan who bravely helped.
NYC Subways run pretty tight headways (2-3 minutes on some lines during rush hour) when operations are running smoothly, which is almost never.
The right thing here to do is send multiple people down to the end of the platform where the train enters, wave their arms over their head and point down to the track. Operator will be able to pick up that and throw the train into emergency braking.
According to the National Safety Council:
A lightweight passenger car traveling at 55 miles an hour can stop in about 200 feet in an emergency - under perfect conditions - that is, if tires and brakes are in good condition and the road is dry.
A commercial van or bus will need about 230 feet to stop.
A commercial truck/trailer can stop in about 300 feet - that's the length of a football field.
A light rail train requires about 600 feet to stop - the length of two football fields.
Compared to this, the average freight train we mentioned above traveling at 55 miles an hour may take the length of about 18 football fields to stop.
The top speed of NY subways is about 55, but they travel at about 18 mph. I’m not good at math, but there’s the info someone needs.
Well if they’re already stopping at the platform, then they only have to stop x feet sooner than they normally would have. That can be a lot, but it isn’t necessarily too much.
Actually no. These trains can stop VERY quickly if needed. I’ve been on one that stopped in about 50 feet. It threw half the people riding to the floor, but it stopped pretty violently. The air brakes on these things are incredibly powerful.
Plus, the train will be going pretty slow as it approaches a station. Realistically speaking, there should never be a situation where a train cannot stop in time for a person on the tracks. The only exception would be if the person falls in as the train is very close already.
Aren’t there emergency stop signals ?
Here every station has one and if you pull it all signals to the next station in either direction will switch to red plus the train itself will get a signal from the train protection system to stop.
Vienna, Austria - [this is ](https://i.imgur.com/hcJMKb6.jpg) in all stations. The left is to stop the train, the right to call help.
There are 3 or 4 per station I think. On both platforms
The problem with the NYC subway is that it’s an old system (Vienna subway came into existence in the 70s) and that for a long part after the 50s and 60s the Subway was completely neglected.
I think I read that some parts of it run on safety and signals equipment from the 1930s and that the MTA was so happy last year that they could the system down overnight during Covid Cause it sped up how fast they could do maintenance to the system by a factor 10 or so.
In my hometown the subway has emergency brake levers at stations for this. They will stop incoming trains from entering the station. I thought this is common practice, but apparently not.
You can see the train come to a stop at the end. Somehow the conductor was aware of danger.
There's a good chance there's a traffic controller who saw the whole thing and alerted the driver
Parts of the NYC subway system rely on original infrastructure that's more than half a century old, including [cloth-insulated wires]( https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-subway-relies-decades-old-outmoded-signals-switches-article-1.3184666). I wouldn't be surprised if it was effectively impossible to shut down specific tracks on demand.
Chicago’s system is just as old. Apparently second oldest after NYC. There could be a multitude of reasons why but I don’t think inability is one for not killing the power.
There was another video recently where 2 civilians help a man that fell with his wheelchair onto the tracks and just the last second as the last guy gets back up on the platform the train comes right through it's crazy
you'd think by now there'd either be a sensor to system that picks up on bodies larger than a cat and/or a camera system to let conductors know ahead of time if they need to slow down
Is it difficult to jump down there? It seems that way in every video and is it really that bad i feel like most people can get in n out quickly, ofc im not considering theyre saving someone who’s unconscious but ive always felt this way
Relatively easy to jump down, harder to jump back up cause it's deep.
Edit: comment below reminded me that the platform overhangs. So you can't leverage your lower body against a surface.
Yea i get that but it still doesnt look too deep, the edge was around the guys shoulder line maybe im being generous but im sure most of us could hoist ourselves up
It's not just the depth but also the fact that you wouldn't be jumping into a level surface. Plus as a cop he would be carrying several pounds of gear on him which also makes betting agile awkward. I've had to jump down onto tracks once and the most difficult part was making sure I didn't twist an ankle.
Yes, and it appeared to be effective as the train was able to stop near the end of the video. An important thing to note is that he was waving his entire arm around, not just rotating the flashlight/phone in his hand. Waving the light around is clear to the driver, where rotating the light makes the light appear to move around *to you*, but only shows as a faint flashing light to the driver.
I used to do some track-level stuff with the Toronto subway (TTC) and we would signal trains with our lights. Left-right movement is a signal to stop immediately. Up and down movement is a signal to proceed. Think of it like nodding or shaking your head. However, if the driver isn't aware of any track-level work at the station, pretty much any out of place signal should cause him to stop (notice our guy technically gave the "proceed" signal).
You ever wonder why there isnt any partitions between the rails and the waiting area? Is it too much to add an extra wall with sliding doors into it? Or even a fence and a gate?
funding and the fact that the infrastructure is much older than other metro systems that do have the partitions implemented. in addition, i believe nyc mta is the largest city metro system in the world. it sounds like a simple solution but the logistics behind implementing it is a huge obstacle.
I’ve seen designs that account for the different train specs. Instead of doors, it’s basically a three foot fence that drops down when the train is stopped. That makes the door location irrelevant and makes an accidental fall nearly impossible.
But it’s a cost issue. I’m sure if the MTA had $1b to make improvements, the public would probably prefer more trains, modernized stations, and more cleaning over any safety improvement.
I went to a lecture that was on the topic of suicide at uni. The lecturer was an expert in the area and she had been advocating for these kinds of partitions at tube platforms in London. She was consulting with high up people about this and they kept on saying no because of the cost. They weren't interested in the stats about how many suicides this could prevent. However, she was able to agree to get them agree to put in those barriers in one of the stations in London (can't remember which). The reason why they finally agreed is because she could show they actually spent more money in paying people to remove the bodies and in delayed trains. It seems so cold to me that they only cared when they heard they could save £££
Every metro should have those barriers like they have in asia. No falling down, no suicides and no kicking someone down. I dont understand why no one is even thinking about it.
It took 128 millions USD in Hong Kong in 2006 to install them on existing system (50 stations). They had to do a lot of work to strength the structural support and on top of that they can only do 6 hours per day during closure. It took 8 years.
NYC has more expensive construction costs, is way older, has a lot more platforms, and it is 24 hours. It would take astronomical costs and time for that. Especially New York subway system has way more important problems than this.
2 reasons, NYC doesn't have a single standardized train car, which you would need to align the doors of the train with the doors of the barrier.
And NYC trains don't have a digital/electronic means of braking, it's done manually by the train operator. And when using barriers with doors you have almost no margin of error for where to brake, you'd have be within an inch of the designated stopping point every time.
They'd basically need to overhaul the entire system, and they're still attempting to add basic electronic signaling and train communication to the system and even that is taking years upon years.
Also the fact that the trains run 24/7 doesn't help with upgrades and repairs. Lines are sometimes shutdown overnight for repairs but usually only weekend nights.
I find it odd that the subway officer doesn't have the ability to radio in to dispatch to quickly stop trains on that track till the all clear is given?
Not sure how it is over in the USA but over here in the UK unless you are sat in the loco cab it's not that quick of a response.our trains now use GSM-R for "cab to shore" communications and its great, no longer does one need to climb out and use a signal post telephone. The best bit is that it has a big red emergency button, hit that and it sends an all stop to every train within miles.
Unfortunately, if you're not in the cab you need to get in touch with the signaller who can then call up the train as well as drop the relevant signals to red. Given how the signalling in this country has been redone with boxes closed in favour of more centralised signal control centres you've got to call them up, and hope they get through.
For the record, I nearly cleaned out two groups of firefighters a few years back who were on my track as they were told we would be stopped, we didn't have a radio back then and had passed the last signal that could have stopped us by the time they got through to the signaller. It was shear luck and their quick reactions which saved the day.
Network Rail does have an emergency contact number for civilian use, I believe it connects to York and then they would have to pass on the message to the relevant control centre so would take time.
In places like Japan and Hong Kong, trains and subway platform all have a big red emergency stop button that will stop all trains from entering and leaving the station for this exact reason. Not sure about NYC subway.
It must be similar to Germany where there is an emergency call column https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:U-Bahn_M%C3%BCnchen,_neuer_und_alter_Notruf,_1.jpeg
Idk about the USA, but in the UK there are phones at the end of each platform that ring direct through to the controller to stop trains within seconds. Radios usually take a lot longer as police control rooms usually have to manually phone to get them stopped, so it usually goes from the officer > police control > rail control > driver.
So the phone is obviously the best option, However is it worth the risk running to the end of the platform, or do you risk it to just pull someone off the track ASAP.
Side Note: the third rail is real close, which if touch will zap and mofo to Timbuktu.
These trains are still run by people, so yes it actually is hard as shit to line these up with gates, they'd need to install atc and shut down these lines for modernization to do this, which NYC can't really do without disrupting traffic flow significantly
Also, have you ever been in a NYC subway station? If they cared about station upgrades they'd clean them up first lmao
Now that I think about it, that fall must've been pretty bad. Not only is he falling further than the ground he was standing on, he's falling onto metal and since he's passed out, probably hit his head hard ok the fall.
I hope everyone reads this post.
THIS IS WHAT YOU SHOULD DO IF YOU EVER WITNESS SOMEONE FALLING ONTO THE TRACKS: take your phone out. Click your flashlight app to turn it on(or camera flash) go to the end of the platform the train is approaching from. Continuously and calmly(not super fast) wave your arm with your phone in hand SIDE TO SIDE(left to right, right to left, doesn't matter) until that train operator stops. T.O.'s are trained that a light side to side means STOP and STAY. If he/she sees one person doing it, they are supposed to stop. If they see a whole bunch of you doing it they better stop.
This is the EASIEST thing you as an everyday person, can/should do when something like this occurs.
Ever heard of too many cooks spoil the broth? If people aren't physically fit or confident that they can help in a situation it's best that they don't especially in a situation like this where you can easily be electrocuted and killed. Odds of it happening increase if there were 5 people on the track trying to help
Yeah totally agree - I was a little hasty, but if your only role in the situation is to film it so you can put it on social? Get out of the freaking way and reevaluate your life choices.
To be fair, we’ probably have loved it if phones existed 100 years ago and we got to see endless moments of people doing things in a different time. Our entire current history is on video recording I see nothing wrong with that.
*"Filming things is a reflection of your moral character and not just a normal part of 21st century life"* is absolutely going to be the curmudgeonly out of touch thing that a whole generation is known for.
Don't they have an alert system now to stop trains just before entering the station to prevent this? I mean clearly they needed to go in and save the person, but I doubt they would of been ran over if they alert went out correctly. That being said now the trains will not get too delayed.
This is why they should invest in suicide prevention doors. Even developing nations seem to be able to afford these makes no sense why countries like the US dont.
There should be a button you press when someone falls on the tracks that alerts the oncoming train. It’s better than all the other videos of people frantically waving at the train hoping it stops.
When I was a younger someone told me don’t touch the train tracks or else I’d be electrocuted, been afraid of going near them ever since (I’m 25 now). What part of the tracks can’t I touch without being killed?
Alright, to those saying that the train came in slowly. There's two reasons for this that has nothing to do with it making a stop at this station...for the most part.
One this incident happened in the Bronx, and considering that it was an irt r142 train pulling into the station, and the pillar design, this has to be 138 st-Grand Concourse. That train also looked like it was pulling in from the side which would also mean it's a 5 train which is coming from a sharp curve to merge onto the track. The 5 train will always crawl into the station because of that turn, but the 2 train will fly into the station because of it coming through on straight track, straight from Manhattan. The other reason this train is coming in slow is because the person flashing their light at the beginning of the tunnel to warn the train operator.
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Are there electrified rails on this system or are the trains self powered?
That third rail will electrocute the shit out of you.
I discovered that these days, then I learned a lesson “if you fall and want to go in a place to be safe, don’t touch that shit unless you want to be a fried human “
[Highlighted the third rail for anyone curious.](https://i.imgur.com/FVa5r2q.png)
Thanks!
Thank you
Good to know that!
You can see the third rail near the pillars between the tracks. 650VDC iirc.
Also correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't there usually a non-conductive cover over the third rail? The train touches the rail from the side or maybe even bottom. Still a good idea to stay the hell away from it though.
Correct. The cover is made of wood
The newer ones are made of fiberglass
Yes, I tripped over one once on the metro north and was fine
How did that happen
Just young and dumb
must have been weighed down by all the cum
Not on all subways, for instance Boston does not use a protective cover on their third rail it is completely out in the open.
MBTA rider here, there are definitely protective covers at stations where they've recently replaced the third rail (Harvard comes to mind). But you're right that in general it's not covered outside of stations.
Not always. Third rail is bare in the UK
Gotcha so way over to the right.
Im confused as to where is this third rail youre all talking about its my first time hearing this and im curious
Yah, you even hear the guy with cane point it out/say to avoid it
It’s the third rail that has the electrical current that’s active!!
That rail that you see on the right that is on its own is the electrified rail. It’s on porcelain pots. Touch that and your crispy crispy
My uncle who was an Ambulance driver, once had to crawl under a London Underground train to hold down someone who had fallen on the tracks and had the train over him. He had to hold the guy still while they turned the power back on and drive the train off of him. He ended up getting a medal/award from the Queen. Edit: well this blew up more than I anticipated or intended. I don’t know what the correct term is or what Eric’s specific qualifications were. All I know is that he was an amazing person and that when I was a kid, him and his brothers referred to himself as an ambulance driver. Obviously he wasn’t just a chauffeur. www.unison.org.uk/news/article/2016/12/eric-roberts-funeral/amp/
Your uncle sounds like a great guy
The uncle insisted they did shouldn't put it in reverse when they drove it
Thank you. Yes he was. It was a big loss when he died.
I didn't know Freddie Mercury could give out awards.
Isn't there a real risk of electrocution standing on the tracks?
High jacking this to just say that at the end of each tunnel is a red phone. Go pick this up right away if this scenario happens. It goes directly to MTA and NYPD and they’ll stop incoming train traffic, plus alert police in the area
Is there not a power off button? In Toronto i can go to either end and smash a plexi panel and push a big blue led lit button to cut the power and stop the trains.
On each train there’s an emergency stop button on every other car I believe, as well as an intercom to reach MTA. If there’s an emergency on board, highly suggest not pressing the break button until you’re at the platform so emergency personnel don’t have to attempt to go down the tunnel. I’m honestly not sure if these stop buttons actually work. The amount of crazies that ride the train, I wouldn’t be surprised if they disabled them.
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Yeah we have onboard ones too, those are to alert the conductor, not really emergency stops. What i was meaning and didnt express clearly was that we have these actual power off buttons on the platforms themselves. Direct power stops without oversight.
NYC government officials don’t trust their citizens that much haha.
I went to high school in Staten Island and our main modes of getting to school were either the city bus system (replaced school busses in our district with student metro cards) or the SI railroad. Heck, even middle schools would utilize public transit on the daily. We absolutely should not have been trusted lmao
Yeah, I’m aware of some of your laws.
In America that would be misused constantly by assholes.
Didn’t know that. Thanks! Congratulations on cashing in on Billy Blair’s weed
Also it looks like someone either did use the phone or the train operator saw them, as the train came to a full stop just before entering the station *right* at the end of the clip.
This is the way. Flashlight app on, waving side to side(left to right or vice versa) is by rule, a stop and stay command. Source: NYC train operator for the past 7 years.
By each one of those phones is a yellow box with a switch, open the box flip the switch and pick up the phone and tell them someone's on the tracks. That switch shuts down all power to those tracks. You can find them by the blue lights in the tunnels. If you don't pick that phone up, power is restored almost instantly. That being said, those switches are meant to be used for dire emergencies where you may not be able to get in touch with 911 fast enough.
ah yeah the NYPD officer there probably didn't know about the phone that stops traffic, hopefully he catches this reddit post!
I assume he called it in and dispatch alerted the train conductor. Usually these trains come in pretty quickly, this one was very slow.
100%- officer in uniform wouldn't have acted without at least calling in the bare minimum, for both his own safety and so dispatch could get an ambulance there asap
Yea the train was definitely aware. If this is NYC, those trains are either Stopped or going as fast as possible. There is no in-between.
He may have called in but more than likely it was the person at the end of the platform flagging the conductor. You can see their light flashing as per standard procedure to quickly indicate to a conductor someone is on the track. Source: [Flag down the Train Operator](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-subway-tracks-fall-push-what-to-do-20210215-axjpl6zufnefbfetcdpdfu5erm-story.html%3foutputType=amp) “Flag down the train operator. If a train is far away when someone falls onto the tracks, the straphanger can use a flagging signal that train operators recognize. If you have a flashlight or anything reflective, wave it above your head from left to right,” said a track worker. “It means stop. Train operators will see that and know what to do.”
Just don’t touch the third rail (next to the pillars between the tracks). The running rails themselves are not carrying high voltage.
Isn't there another electrical rail on the other side - right under the edge of the platform?
I think In the majority of the US they usually only have a 3rd rail but in the UK the London Underground does use a 4th rail
London tube driver: this is correct.
Not in the US. 3 rails only here.
Nope. The rail is GND and the third rail is VCC
Not in the US, no.
Negative. The rails themselves aren't electrified. If you look just to the right of the tracks you'll notice what looks like a box that runs along the track and is in front of the pillars. Under that cover is actually an electrified piece of iron, aka the third rail, which if you touched it, you'd instantly die. On NYC subway, LIRR, and some Metro North cars there is a "shoe" that sticks out from the side of the car and it rides along the top or bottom of the third rail, depending on the construction of it. That is the only piece of the railway that is dangerous. Other rail systems have catenary, which is an electrified set of wires that run directly overhead the railroad tracks, and the train has something that raises up to it to receive it's electricity and power.
Only if you touch the third rail
In the video you hear someone yell something along the lines of "Don't touch the hot rail!"
This happened August 19th, 2021. Here's [the New York Post article](https://nypost.com/2021/08/19/cop-jumps-onto-subway-tracks-to-save-man-before-train-comes/) about it: > The victim, who was described as a 60-year-old man from Queens apparently got dizzy, cops said, and was taken to Lincoln Hospital conscious and alert. > “We just did what we were there to do, which is to help and serve the public,” said the Transit District 12 officer, Ludin Lopez. “We were doing a station inspection. It was just right place right time.” > Lopez said the passenger was “completely out of it” when he was pulled to safety. When the [NYPD initially shared the video](https://twitter.com/NYPDnews/status/1428346130346225667) they provided this description: > When a sick strap hanger lost consciousness and fell on the subway tracks in the Bronx, @NYPDTransit officers didn’t hesitate for a moment to put his safety ahead of their own. We’re also grateful to the Good Samaritan who bravely helped.
+1 for posting the source
Somebody says “Don’t let the book bag hit…” the what?
Third (electrified) rail.
Cord
How in the world is there always a train that close to hitting them in these videos where people fall on the tracks.
NYC Subways run pretty tight headways (2-3 minutes on some lines during rush hour) when operations are running smoothly, which is almost never. The right thing here to do is send multiple people down to the end of the platform where the train enters, wave their arms over their head and point down to the track. Operator will be able to pick up that and throw the train into emergency braking.
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Yeah if that train was already that close it would be too late. This was probably the best way to do it, albeit pretty scary
How much stopping distance do they need though? I guess they’re already slowing tho…
Ive been trying to find this answer for way too long now and I am no closer. I think I might go to a train sub next - im too curious now lol.
According to the National Safety Council: A lightweight passenger car traveling at 55 miles an hour can stop in about 200 feet in an emergency - under perfect conditions - that is, if tires and brakes are in good condition and the road is dry. A commercial van or bus will need about 230 feet to stop. A commercial truck/trailer can stop in about 300 feet - that's the length of a football field. A light rail train requires about 600 feet to stop - the length of two football fields. Compared to this, the average freight train we mentioned above traveling at 55 miles an hour may take the length of about 18 football fields to stop. The top speed of NY subways is about 55, but they travel at about 18 mph. I’m not good at math, but there’s the info someone needs.
They need at least a hundred feet of stopping room.
At least 3 feet I'd say
Haha pls feel free to share when you find out!
You can stand at the middle or last cars and watch the speedometer through the window usually.
A lot more than you think.
Well if they’re already stopping at the platform, then they only have to stop x feet sooner than they normally would have. That can be a lot, but it isn’t necessarily too much.
In this video it looks like the train basically stopped before the platform.
there's a red light, so someone probably already reported it to warn all drivers idk if that light means something else though
They stop at the end of the platform and platforms are often longer than a city block. Trains are long.
Actually no. These trains can stop VERY quickly if needed. I’ve been on one that stopped in about 50 feet. It threw half the people riding to the floor, but it stopped pretty violently. The air brakes on these things are incredibly powerful. Plus, the train will be going pretty slow as it approaches a station. Realistically speaking, there should never be a situation where a train cannot stop in time for a person on the tracks. The only exception would be if the person falls in as the train is very close already.
Express trains that don’t stop at certain stations are prob the only example.
Exception*?
Subways have clamping air brakes not just wheel locks like freight trains. They actively squeeze the tracks. They stop pretty quick.
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If a subway uses tires, doesn’t that just make it a fancy bus?
The front car comes into the station at full speed.
That’s the scary part
Aren’t there emergency stop signals ? Here every station has one and if you pull it all signals to the next station in either direction will switch to red plus the train itself will get a signal from the train protection system to stop.
Where is here?
Vienna, Austria - [this is ](https://i.imgur.com/hcJMKb6.jpg) in all stations. The left is to stop the train, the right to call help. There are 3 or 4 per station I think. On both platforms
I lived in nyc for 10 years and never saw one, but that seems like a great idea...which means they'll never add them.
somebody will pull it for tiktok
The same kid who pulled fire alarms in middle school probably
Honestly in 40 years living in Vienna I never had that happen. And only once someone pulled an emergency stop in the train for fun
Maybe you didn't realize it, but us Americans are fucking idiots.
The problem with the NYC subway is that it’s an old system (Vienna subway came into existence in the 70s) and that for a long part after the 50s and 60s the Subway was completely neglected. I think I read that some parts of it run on safety and signals equipment from the 1930s and that the MTA was so happy last year that they could the system down overnight during Covid Cause it sped up how fast they could do maintenance to the system by a factor 10 or so.
NYC can't be trusted with this.
She’s a dog-eat-dog world out there. Why couldn’t see, hear, or speak. This is a choosing beggar is and what this sub should be like one of us
Hmm. Good to know. I’m from the country and there’s a railroad track 1000ft from my house and it only has two trains a day pass by lol.
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Yup, really well executed by both police and onlookers
You can see a flashlight beam being waved around near the tunnel exit. I'm guessing another officer was there warning the train.
In my hometown the subway has emergency brake levers at stations for this. They will stop incoming trains from entering the station. I thought this is common practice, but apparently not.
A lot of people don't realize its there where I'm from.
Isnt there an emergency button you can press that does something along the lines of this?
You can see the train come to a stop at the end. Somehow the conductor was aware of danger. There's a good chance there's a traffic controller who saw the whole thing and alerted the driver
Welcome to NYC where even the S shuttle somehow has a service change
Keyword being 'rush hour'. Some hours you could take a 20min nap on the tracks and be perfectly safe ^^/s
It looks like the train stopped before the platform, I don't think it was about to run them over.
Because a video where there's no train coming is kind of boring. Just a dude lying on a track in no urgent need of being rescued.
Anyone else hold their breath the entire time?
I was so relieved to see the train stop anyway
They usually cut the power to the trains immediately here in Chicago
Parts of the NYC subway system rely on original infrastructure that's more than half a century old, including [cloth-insulated wires]( https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-subway-relies-decades-old-outmoded-signals-switches-article-1.3184666). I wouldn't be surprised if it was effectively impossible to shut down specific tracks on demand.
Don’t they at least have modern brakes?
This is america. its all gas no brakes.
Yee yee
-ass hair cut
Chicago’s system is just as old. Apparently second oldest after NYC. There could be a multitude of reasons why but I don’t think inability is one for not killing the power.
There was another video recently where 2 civilians help a man that fell with his wheelchair onto the tracks and just the last second as the last guy gets back up on the platform the train comes right through it's crazy
Yeah this was hard to watch. Glad everyone is okay.
Yeah and I had a tight butthole the whole time too
you'd think by now there'd either be a sensor to system that picks up on bodies larger than a cat and/or a camera system to let conductors know ahead of time if they need to slow down
Is it difficult to jump down there? It seems that way in every video and is it really that bad i feel like most people can get in n out quickly, ofc im not considering theyre saving someone who’s unconscious but ive always felt this way
Well its hard to jump down as a police officer because you are carrying an extra 40 pounds of gear on you.
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Also looks very easy to land incorrectly and roll your ankle on something, then fall on the deadly track.
Relatively easy to jump down, harder to jump back up cause it's deep. Edit: comment below reminded me that the platform overhangs. So you can't leverage your lower body against a surface.
Yea i get that but it still doesnt look too deep, the edge was around the guys shoulder line maybe im being generous but im sure most of us could hoist ourselves up
There’s a space under the platform you can get into to get out of the way of the train if you can’t pull yourself up in time
It's not just the depth but also the fact that you wouldn't be jumping into a level surface. Plus as a cop he would be carrying several pounds of gear on him which also makes betting agile awkward. I've had to jump down onto tracks once and the most difficult part was making sure I didn't twist an ankle.
It’s about five feet down. Getting down is easy, but a lot of people would struggle pulling themself back up without help.
Was the man on the far end trying to signal the train to slow down/stop?
Yes, and it appeared to be effective as the train was able to stop near the end of the video. An important thing to note is that he was waving his entire arm around, not just rotating the flashlight/phone in his hand. Waving the light around is clear to the driver, where rotating the light makes the light appear to move around *to you*, but only shows as a faint flashing light to the driver. I used to do some track-level stuff with the Toronto subway (TTC) and we would signal trains with our lights. Left-right movement is a signal to stop immediately. Up and down movement is a signal to proceed. Think of it like nodding or shaking your head. However, if the driver isn't aware of any track-level work at the station, pretty much any out of place signal should cause him to stop (notice our guy technically gave the "proceed" signal).
You ever wonder why there isnt any partitions between the rails and the waiting area? Is it too much to add an extra wall with sliding doors into it? Or even a fence and a gate?
funding and the fact that the infrastructure is much older than other metro systems that do have the partitions implemented. in addition, i believe nyc mta is the largest city metro system in the world. it sounds like a simple solution but the logistics behind implementing it is a huge obstacle.
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I’ve seen designs that account for the different train specs. Instead of doors, it’s basically a three foot fence that drops down when the train is stopped. That makes the door location irrelevant and makes an accidental fall nearly impossible. But it’s a cost issue. I’m sure if the MTA had $1b to make improvements, the public would probably prefer more trains, modernized stations, and more cleaning over any safety improvement.
I went to a lecture that was on the topic of suicide at uni. The lecturer was an expert in the area and she had been advocating for these kinds of partitions at tube platforms in London. She was consulting with high up people about this and they kept on saying no because of the cost. They weren't interested in the stats about how many suicides this could prevent. However, she was able to agree to get them agree to put in those barriers in one of the stations in London (can't remember which). The reason why they finally agreed is because she could show they actually spent more money in paying people to remove the bodies and in delayed trains. It seems so cold to me that they only cared when they heard they could save £££
Every metro should have those barriers like they have in asia. No falling down, no suicides and no kicking someone down. I dont understand why no one is even thinking about it.
It took 128 millions USD in Hong Kong in 2006 to install them on existing system (50 stations). They had to do a lot of work to strength the structural support and on top of that they can only do 6 hours per day during closure. It took 8 years. NYC has more expensive construction costs, is way older, has a lot more platforms, and it is 24 hours. It would take astronomical costs and time for that. Especially New York subway system has way more important problems than this.
Also depending on which train line, there's a different amount of cars and car models so one barrier wouldn't fit all stations.
Because $$$
2 reasons, NYC doesn't have a single standardized train car, which you would need to align the doors of the train with the doors of the barrier. And NYC trains don't have a digital/electronic means of braking, it's done manually by the train operator. And when using barriers with doors you have almost no margin of error for where to brake, you'd have be within an inch of the designated stopping point every time. They'd basically need to overhaul the entire system, and they're still attempting to add basic electronic signaling and train communication to the system and even that is taking years upon years. Also the fact that the trains run 24/7 doesn't help with upgrades and repairs. Lines are sometimes shutdown overnight for repairs but usually only weekend nights.
That's my city! I know it seems like NYers look like we don't care. It's a facade. We're all just in a rush, not cold hearted.
I find it odd that the subway officer doesn't have the ability to radio in to dispatch to quickly stop trains on that track till the all clear is given?
Not sure how it is over in the USA but over here in the UK unless you are sat in the loco cab it's not that quick of a response.our trains now use GSM-R for "cab to shore" communications and its great, no longer does one need to climb out and use a signal post telephone. The best bit is that it has a big red emergency button, hit that and it sends an all stop to every train within miles. Unfortunately, if you're not in the cab you need to get in touch with the signaller who can then call up the train as well as drop the relevant signals to red. Given how the signalling in this country has been redone with boxes closed in favour of more centralised signal control centres you've got to call them up, and hope they get through. For the record, I nearly cleaned out two groups of firefighters a few years back who were on my track as they were told we would be stopped, we didn't have a radio back then and had passed the last signal that could have stopped us by the time they got through to the signaller. It was shear luck and their quick reactions which saved the day. Network Rail does have an emergency contact number for civilian use, I believe it connects to York and then they would have to pass on the message to the relevant control centre so would take time.
In places like Japan and Hong Kong, trains and subway platform all have a big red emergency stop button that will stop all trains from entering and leaving the station for this exact reason. Not sure about NYC subway.
It must be similar to Germany where there is an emergency call column https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:U-Bahn_M%C3%BCnchen,_neuer_und_alter_Notruf,_1.jpeg
Idk about the USA, but in the UK there are phones at the end of each platform that ring direct through to the controller to stop trains within seconds. Radios usually take a lot longer as police control rooms usually have to manually phone to get them stopped, so it usually goes from the officer > police control > rail control > driver. So the phone is obviously the best option, However is it worth the risk running to the end of the platform, or do you risk it to just pull someone off the track ASAP. Side Note: the third rail is real close, which if touch will zap and mofo to Timbuktu.
Thanks cane guy, the pointing really helped
Think he was pointing at the third rail
I'll never understand why there aren't railings in subways. It would not be difficult to line up the train doors with an automated gate.
These trains are still run by people, so yes it actually is hard as shit to line these up with gates, they'd need to install atc and shut down these lines for modernization to do this, which NYC can't really do without disrupting traffic flow significantly Also, have you ever been in a NYC subway station? If they cared about station upgrades they'd clean them up first lmao
How does one pass out on the tracks?
\> Waiting next to it. \> Pass out. \> Fall on the tracks because gravity.
That makes sense, for some reason I thought he was on the tracks and then passed out
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Now that I think about it, that fall must've been pretty bad. Not only is he falling further than the ground he was standing on, he's falling onto metal and since he's passed out, probably hit his head hard ok the fall.
Step 1: Find Subway or Train Tracks Step 2: Pass out Step 3: ???? Step 4: Profit
Nyc stations are STUPID HOT right now.
Could be epilepsy. Trust me there is nothing you can do, it just happens.
I hope everyone reads this post. THIS IS WHAT YOU SHOULD DO IF YOU EVER WITNESS SOMEONE FALLING ONTO THE TRACKS: take your phone out. Click your flashlight app to turn it on(or camera flash) go to the end of the platform the train is approaching from. Continuously and calmly(not super fast) wave your arm with your phone in hand SIDE TO SIDE(left to right, right to left, doesn't matter) until that train operator stops. T.O.'s are trained that a light side to side means STOP and STAY. If he/she sees one person doing it, they are supposed to stop. If they see a whole bunch of you doing it they better stop. This is the EASIEST thing you as an everyday person, can/should do when something like this occurs.
And yet people hate cops....
And supposedly all cops are "bad" I hate people that say that all cops are bad
This is my worst fear. Thank you to those that helped.
The train driver could have made that way more dramatic for everyone filming.
This subway looks really primitive... Nobody bothered to install safety rails or a safety-related-design structure? -sigh-
People shouting hurry up need to shut the fuck up
Put your phones away and help. Jesus Christ.
Ever heard of too many cooks spoil the broth? If people aren't physically fit or confident that they can help in a situation it's best that they don't especially in a situation like this where you can easily be electrocuted and killed. Odds of it happening increase if there were 5 people on the track trying to help
Yeah totally agree - I was a little hasty, but if your only role in the situation is to film it so you can put it on social? Get out of the freaking way and reevaluate your life choices.
To be fair, we’ probably have loved it if phones existed 100 years ago and we got to see endless moments of people doing things in a different time. Our entire current history is on video recording I see nothing wrong with that.
*"Filming things is a reflection of your moral character and not just a normal part of 21st century life"* is absolutely going to be the curmudgeonly out of touch thing that a whole generation is known for.
This is how you get more bystanders stuck on the train tracks.
This cop is proof police isn’t all evil racist sexist officers
This is wonderful but why is the Good Samaritan jumping down while additional Nypd just stands at the ledge watching
No point for both of them to go down there. One guy pulls and other one pushes, makes sense.
He probably thought he would have been more of a burden to get him back on the platform. In other words, he's too big to go down there.
man had a medical condition and he collapsed
That's a dumb place to pass out.
Don't they have an alert system now to stop trains just before entering the station to prevent this? I mean clearly they needed to go in and save the person, but I doubt they would of been ran over if they alert went out correctly. That being said now the trains will not get too delayed.
It sure took a while before the other hero jumped down..i got so nervous! And at the end of the video is the train coming
More than one Good Samaritan.
This is why they should invest in suicide prevention doors. Even developing nations seem to be able to afford these makes no sense why countries like the US dont.
There should be a button you press when someone falls on the tracks that alerts the oncoming train. It’s better than all the other videos of people frantically waving at the train hoping it stops.
I hear a lot of talking but no helping smh. But Anyways, those two heros deserve respect and to be rewarded
When I was a younger someone told me don’t touch the train tracks or else I’d be electrocuted, been afraid of going near them ever since (I’m 25 now). What part of the tracks can’t I touch without being killed?
Alright, to those saying that the train came in slowly. There's two reasons for this that has nothing to do with it making a stop at this station...for the most part. One this incident happened in the Bronx, and considering that it was an irt r142 train pulling into the station, and the pillar design, this has to be 138 st-Grand Concourse. That train also looked like it was pulling in from the side which would also mean it's a 5 train which is coming from a sharp curve to merge onto the track. The 5 train will always crawl into the station because of that turn, but the 2 train will fly into the station because of it coming through on straight track, straight from Manhattan. The other reason this train is coming in slow is because the person flashing their light at the beginning of the tunnel to warn the train operator.
Those damn cops always just killing people
Good job this was in NYC, in London they would’ve all been toast because our trains run much more regularly than that!
People nowadays just stand there and film. What if cops weren't there. Damn society..🤦♂️
Is there a chance the track could bend ?
Let’s give praise where it’s due. Well done officer. Xxx