A new barrier that rises and falls with trains’ arrival and departure is due to be trialed at a busy commuter station this year, a report from Japan’s IT Media has said.
Made from a series of long, thick wires threaded between pillars positioned along the edge of the platform at 10-metre intervals, the barrier is intended to keep travelers safe and prevent accidents and suicides as trains pull into crowded stations whose platforms are rarely fitted with barriers or safety gates. The trial unit will be installed at Tsukimino station, Kanagawa Prefecture, sometime this summer.
The wire rope screen will remain down at the edge of the platform until trains make a complete stop at the station. It will then rise just long enough for passengers to board or disembark. If the barrier proves to be both durable and cost effective, it is hoped that similar systems could be installed at other busy stations, helping to put an end to incidents like this in the near future.
Source/images: IT Media (Japanese)
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