Platform screen doors provide a physical barrier between the train and the platform at train and subway stations. They are an important safety feature that has been retrofitted onto many metro systems around the world. The various types of platform screen doors can all help to protect against people falling onto the tracks, as well as providing some climate control benefits by isolating the station from the tunnel.
Full Height Platform Doors
The first full height platform doors were installed in the Singapore Mass Rapid Transit system in 1987. They create a total barrier between the floor of the station and the ceiling. The upper girder includes a simple motorisation mechanism and lighting. The doors hang from this upper girder. This type of platform screen doors is mostly installed in new stations.
Platform Edge Doors
Platform edge doors do not create a total barrier as they do not touch the ceiling of the station. However, they are full height and so fully shield people from the train. Platform edge doors use a double motorisation mechanism to open the sliding doors when the train arrives. These doors are mostly installed as a retrofitted safety feature. For example, all sub-surface stations of the Jubilee Line Extension on the London Underground feature platform edge doors.
Platform Safety Gates
Used mostly in Japan since 2000, platform safety gates have a simple design. They are approximately chest or waist height on an adult person and are cheaper to install than full height doors. Although they don’t isolate the platform fully from the tracks, platform safety gates protect against people falling from the edge of the platform.
Why Are Platform Screen Doors a Must?
Platform screen doors are a must to protect the hundreds of millions of people all over the world who use public transport systems. Within cities, public transportation provides a cheap and efficient way to get around. These systems can be very crowded, leading to serious and even fatal accidents. Platform screen doors provide the safety and convenience that passengers expect.