How to understand the following suggestions when one falls in NYC subway tracks?
Someone gave some suggestion when one falls in NYC subway tracks at http://www.villagevoice.com/news/subway-conductor-tells-you-what-to-do-if-you-fall-in-the-tracks-and-other-transit-real-talk-6679243
MyRedditAtWork: Serious question: If, god forbid, I fall onto the tracks or someone I am willing to risk my life for falls into the tracks and is knocked out - and a train is coming (lets say 30sec away) - what should I do? Are those pits between the rails by the platforms made for people to hide in in a worst case scenario?
The best thing you can do is run as far down the platform as you can (in the opposite direction from where the train enters the station) and wave your arms frantically to get the train operator and passenger's attention. Believe me, the passengers WILL be doing the exact same thing, as nobody wants to see you get run over and their train get delayed. If you can get to the far end of the platform, it gives the train more room to stop, and there is a ladder at the end of each platform where you can climb back up -- do NOT try to climb up from where you are. So many people have been killed trying to jump back up rather than getting away from the entrance end of the station.
Do NOT trust the pits between the tracks --- they are often right next to the third rail which can be just as dangerous (and note that the wooden planks are not designed to hold a human's weight - they are there to protect the energized rail from drips and weather) and the train operator is less likely to see you if you're in there. And don't duck under the train, because most stations do not have enough clearance for the average human. And do NOT jump down onto the tracks to try to save someone else. The best thing you can do is run on the platform towards the tunnel where the train enters so you can get the operator's attention sooner. Waving your arms over the tracks will tell the operator to stop immediately.
Does "the opposite direction" in which one is suggested to run in mean the direction in which one runs closer and closer towards the train?
If yes, how does "the opposite direction" give the train more room to stop?
What does "the far end of the platform" mean? Is it the end that the train will enter the platform, or the end that the train will leave the platform?
Does "ladder at the end of each platform" mean that there is a ladder at both ends of each platform?
What do "the pits between the tracks" and "the wooden planks" mean? Do you have photos to show what they are?
Best Answer
Imagine the train is heading south. It will enter at the north end of the station and move, southwards, to the south end of the station. The advice "in the opposite direction from where the train enters the station" means run south. Away from the north end, where the train enters. In the same direction as the train. Eventually you will reach the south end, the far end, as far as possible from where the train enters.
Yes, there is probably a ladder at both ends, but you don't want to run towards the one at the north end, because that would mean running towards the train and meeting it sooner. The article mentions both ends so you don't worry "what if there isn't a ladder when I get to the far end, because the only ladder is at the other end?"
As for the pits, in some stations there are gaps under the platform between the tracks, and sometimes folks are advised to try to go there - this advice says don't do that, because there might not be one and anyway, the third rail is in the way. It is covered with wood, but if you step on the wood it might collapse and put you in contact with the third rail, which will be instantly fatal. (The third rail carries the electricity that powers the subway. The first and second rails are the actual train tracks on which the subway cars run.) Don't get too worked up about understanding a rebuttal of advice you're being told not to take. If you have actually stood in a subway station and looked down at the tracks, this nomenclature would probably make more sense.
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What do you do if you fall on subway tracks?
And do NOT jump down onto the tracks to try to save someone else. The best thing you can do is run on the platform towards the tunnel where the train enters so you can get the operator's attention sooner. Waving your arms over the tracks will tell the operator to stop immediately.How do subway tracks work?
Overhead wires or an electrified rail known as the third rail supplies power to the trains. The third rail lies outside or between the subway tracks, and a wheel, brush or sliding shoe carries the power from the rail to the train's electric motor.Why do people push people in the subway?
The motives are wide-ranging, from jealousy to mental illness, and perhaps the most unsettling thing about the cases is the seemingly random nature behind many of these attacks. Regardless of motive, these are some of the most disturbing stories of real people pushed in front of oncoming trains.Are NYC subway tracks electrified?
The system's 214 electrical-power substations receive high and low-voltage electrical current from the New York Power Authority. Substations may receive as much as 27,000 volts from the power plants and then convert it for use in the subway. The subway's contact (third) rail requires 625 volts for operating trains.What if you get pushed on the subway | Survival Guide to NYC Episode 3 | New York Post
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