Platform screen doors
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Platform screen doors are doors for screening the platform and trains at train or subway stations. Such doors are actually broken down into three categories:
- Platform screen doors are full height, total barriers between the station floor and ceiling.
- Platform edge doors are full height doors, but do not reach the ceiling and thus do not create a total barrier.
- Platform safety gates or platform gate doors are chest or waist height gates.
These terms are sometimes used interchangeably.
These doors serve for
- prevention of suicide and accidents
- climate control within the station (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning)
- security (access to tracks and tunnels is restricted).
[edit] Bangkok
The Subway features Platform Screen Doors at all 18 of its stations since construction.
[edit] Copenhagen
Copenhagen Metro, opened in 2002, it is a relatively modern subway system. All nine underground stations have platform screen doors.
[edit] Hong Kong
The MTR in Hong Kong was the first to install platform screen doors on an existing operating system. Tung Chung Line, the Airport Express and Tseung Kwan O Line, except Quarry Bay station, had platform screen doors installed upon construction. These doors prevent people falling onto the rails, and have the additional benefit of separating the stations from the tunnels, allowing substantial energy savings on station air-conditioning and tunnel ventilation. Automatic platform gates (APGs) have been installed at the Sunny Bay and Disneyland Resort stations. Their heights are half of the PSDs and only prevent people falling onto the rails.
In June 2000 The MTR Corporation proceeded with its plans to retrofit 2,960 pairs of platform screen doors at 30 underground stations on the Kwun Tong Line, Tsuen Wan Line, and Island Line in a six year programme. The programme made MTR the world's first railway to undertake the retrofitting of PSDs on a passenger-carrying system already in operation. A prototype design was first introduced at Choi Hung station in the 3rd quarter of 2001. HK$0.10 per passenger trip was levied on Octopus card users to help fund the HK$2 billion retrofit programme. The MTR Corporation said part of the cost has to be assumed by passengers.
The KCRC has also installed platform screen doors on its West Rail system and the East Tsim Sha Tsui station of the KCR East Rail. The PSDs at East Tsim Sha Tsui are the longest in the world.
[edit] Kuala Lumpur
The Putra LRT (Kelana Jaya Line) features Platform Screen Doors at each of its five underground stations since their opening in June 1999.
[edit] London
Platform edge doors are installed on all platforms of the sub-surface stations of the Jubilee Line Extension. Platform Edge Doors (PEDs) were installed on the new platforms for a number of reasons, but the primary justification was that of passenger comfort. The specification for the upgraded Jubilee Line included a maximum air-speed in passenger areas, and to achieve this on the platforms would have meant either substantial civil works to increase tunnel diameter at the platform - tunnel interface, or including Platform Edge Doors. The PEDs do not reach the platform ceiling, but stop slightly short. This allows ventilation of the platform by the air forced ahead of each train, but the screen prevents uncomfortably high air-speeds.
The safety and aesthetic benefit of PEDs were also part of the justification, and they contribute greatly to the impression of an impressive, modern underground railway.
[edit] France
[edit] Paris
Stations on the new automated Line 14 have platform screen doors.
[edit] Lille Metro (VAL)
There are platform screen doors on all 60 Stations.
[edit] Saint-Petersburg
In 1961-1971 ten stations of this type were built (termed "horizontal lift"). It was one of the earliest instances of this in the world. It was not used again in the former USSR.
[edit] Seoul
- As of November 2005, platform screen doors are being installed on the busiest line, number 2, starting with the busiest stations.
- Seoul Subway Line 9, currently under construction, will feature platform screen doors.
[edit] Singapore
[edit] Mass Rapid Transit (MRT)
The Singapore Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) was the first heavy rail system in the world to incorporate platform screen doors in its stations in 1987 (as according to Westinghouse Platform Screen Doors). Platform screen doors are installed at all underground MRT stations in Singapore, and are manufactured by Westinghouse Platform Screen Doors, a member of the Knorr-Bremse Group.
There are two series of the platform screen doors in use. The first series was installed in all operating underground stations along the North South Line and the East West Line from 1987 to the completion of the initial system in 1990. The second series of platform screen doors sporting a sleeker design and incorporating more glass were installed in the Changi Airport MRT Station which opened in 2002. All stations in the fully-underground North East Line, which opened in 2003, also sport these new doors.
Considered a novelty at the time of its installation, it was introduced primarily to minimise hefty air-conditioning costs, especially since elevated stations are not air-conditioned, and hence are much more economical to run in comparison. Since then the safety aspects of these doors have become more important, as highlighted by a series of high profile incidents where individuals were injured or killed by oncoming trains since the year 2002, all occurring on elevated stations where no screen doors exist. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) reports that there have been more than 220 cases of commuters trespassing on the tracks between 1991 and 15 September 2004, of which 87% were deliberate acts of trespass. Nine fatalities were recorded during this period, of which only one was an accident. Since September 2004 there have been four fatalities occurring on elevated MRT and LRT stations.
As a result of these incidents, there have been public requests for the installation of various forms of physical barriers, which the LTA put on hold due to questions as to their functionality and the high installation costs. There have been no plans thus far to consider installing platform screen doors in all elevated stations, an endeavour which may require entire stations to be air conditioned, although this option may not be completely ruled out in the future. Official computer generated images of Circle Line stations feature platform screen doors and air conditioned stations.
[edit] Light Rapid Transit (LRT)
Platform screen doors have also been installed at the Ten Mile Junction Station of the Bukit Panjang LRT since its construction. Being integrated with a commercial development, the station is air conditioned, and platform screen doors therefore had to be installed. This station is the only LRT station in Singapore to feature platform screen doors.
[edit] Sentosa Express
The Sentosa Express with 4 stations, connects mainland Singapore with Sentosa Island. The system is due to be opened in late 2006 with platform screen gates at every station.
[edit] Changi Airport Skytrain
The new Changi Airport Skytrain with 7 stations, connects all 3 terminals at the airport. 2 stations have already been opened with the other 5 due to be opened when Terminal 3 opens in early 2008. All stations have platform screen doors.
[edit] Taipei
The TRTS (TRTC) Muzha Line, which was the first rapid transit line to be completed in Taipei, has platform screen doors in all 12 stations. Currently, it is the only line in the TRTS to feature such doors.
Platform screen doors are presently (October 2006) being installed in the underground stations of the Taipei Metro's Red, Green, Yellow and Blue lines.
[edit] Airports
[edit] Chicago O'Hare Airport
The VAL ATS (Airport transit system) at O'Hare International Airport was constructed in 1993 and uses platform screen doors.
[edit] Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport
Platform screen doors are part of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport's people mover, which connects the six concourses and the baggage claim area, and which was built by Westinghouse.
[edit] Hong Kong International Airport
Platform screen doors are installed along the platforms of the Automatic People Mover, which runs from the East Hall to the West Hall.
[edit] Kuala Lumpur International Airport
Platform edge doors are installed along the platforms of the Aerotrain, which runs from the Main Terminal Building to the Satellite Terminal Building.
[edit] Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport
Platform screen doors were installed along the two platforms of the Hub Tram, which connects the Lindburg terminal to Parking Strucutres and the Hiawatha Line's Lindburg Terminal Station.
[edit] New York John Fitzgerald Kennedy International Airport
Platform screen doors are utilized at the stations of the AirTrain JFK that goes around the terminals of New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. The train also connects to Howard Beach subway station in southern Queens and the Long Island Rail Road's Jamaica train station.
[edit] Orlando International Airport
Platform screen doors cover the entrance to the trains that connect the airsides to the main terminal.
[edit] San Francisco International Airport
SFO's AirTrain people mover uses platform screen doors at all stations, though the stations are not air-conditioned. This is in contrast to the BART suburban train to which the AirTrain connects.
[edit] Tampa International Airport
Platform screen doors cover the entrance to the trains that connect the airsides to the main terminal.
[edit] Denver International Airport
Platform screen doors are present at all four stations of the underground train which connects the three concourses to the main terminal.
[edit] Zurich Airport
Platform screen doors have been installed on the driverless train that transports passengers to the Intercontinental terminal at the Zurich city airport.
[edit] Las Vegas
The Las Vegas Monorail which opened in 2004 features PSDs at all of its stations.
[edit] Japan
Platform Screen Door systems are widely used in Japan, with the main aim to ensure passenger safety. As many railway stations which have installed the doors are not equipped with any environmental control systems, many platform doors are only about one meter in height. Therefore, in many cases they are also referred to as Platform Gates.
[edit] Shinkansen
A Platform Gates system has been installed at many of the Shinkansen stations, especially where there are non-stop trains passing through the station. Despite this, there was a case in which a man climbed over the gate, jumped onto the track and was killed by a through train.
[edit] JR (Zairaisen)
Besides Shinkansen, platform gates have been install to many traditional railway lines of JRs (在来線 Zairaisen), where the train frequency is high and there are high-speed nonstop train, for example Tōkaidō Main Line in JR West Area.
[edit] Subways
Platform screen doors or gates are mainly used in subways lines featured with One-Man-Control system. In most railway systems of Japan, besides the driver of the train, there is another staff onboard to control the opening and closing of the doors of the train. Instead on One-man-control train, train operation is assisted with automatic train operation system. As ATO and One-man-control is relactively new, most subway lines with PSDs are recently constructed lines like the Tokyo Metro Nanboku Line and Kyoto Metro Tozai Line, or an old line which has undergone a system upgrade like branch lines of Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line and Toei Mita Line.
[edit] Private Railways
Reason for most of the private railway lines installing PSDs is that there is through train service with subway lines with PSDs. One of the example is Tokyu Meguro Line and Saitama Rapid Railway Line, which both run through service with Tokyo Metro Nanboku Line.
[edit] External links
- Subways with platform screen doors (Metro Bits)
- Westinghouse website on PSDs - Includes video of doors in action, pictures, diagrams, and other info.
