Platform Doors, Are You Kidding Me?
- This past Friday, the MTA provided NY1 with exclusive news about the 7 line extension. The major exclusive turned out to be the installation of platform doors. Here is a quick article about the platform doors being installed courtesy of NY1:
September 08, 2007
NY1 has learned exclusively the MTA plans to install subway platform doors on the new number 7 subway line extension.
The doors are designed to relieve the crunch of passengers boarding and exiting subways during rush hour.
The floor-to-ceiling mechanical sliding doors will be at the edge of the platform, similar to those seen on the JFK AirTrain.
According to MTA officials, the doors cost about $2 million per platform. The expense is expected to be made up in energy savings from new cooling systems.
This will be the first time platform doors have ever been tried on the subway.
Are you kidding me? What a complete waste of money this is by the MTA, not that this should come as any surprise to straphangers. Many platforms have dangerous levels of crowding during rush hour & somehow installing doors taking up some of what little room is there is a good idea? Sorry but I can’t support such a waste of money.
Such an expensive idea would be one thing if our system was in great financial shape & could afford such luxuries. However our system is in tough times financially & falling apart in many places. Somehow the MTA can afford a proposal that will cost about $2,000,000 a station but can’t keep up proper conditioning of stations! Let me show just a few samples of what I mean:
Damaged trackbed at the 2nd Ave. station
Possible hazardous conditions at the Fordham Rd. station on the B & D lines
Wall peeling apart at the Union St. station in Brooklyn
Rusted tiles at the W. 4th St. station in Manhattan
All resized photos courtesy of Eye On Transit
Now mind you these photos are just the tip of the iceberg. I only selected 4 quick shots from my DSLR collection taken within the last year or so. If I were to go back to my days with a regular point & shoot digital camera, it would be even worse! The sad part is many of these stations still look like they did when I took the photos.
So straphangers are supposed to be thrilled about platform doors yet forget that many of the 468 stations in our system are in horrible shape? Well you can be damn sure that I am one straphanger who will not get the wool pulled over my eyes!
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