Last week, we learnt that the air pollution in Sydney’s train stations is unhealthily high. But something we've been warned about at NSW train stations for far longer is to "Mind the gap". For good reason – about 450 people (more than one person every day) fell down the gap between trains and platforms in 2023, and the NSW Government has decided that the “mind the gap” announcement is no longer cutting it. To bridge the space between train doors and platforms, Transport for NSW will begin installing mechanical gap fillers between trains and platforms to make our daily commute a little less risky.
Unsurprisingly, children and elderly people are the most at risk from Sydney’s varying train-to-platform gaps, which are largest at the city’s older stations. When a train platform features curves, it’s more likely for the gap between the doors and platform to be a little too large – with the widest gap (about 31 centimetres) seen at Dulwich Hill Station.
Part of the redevelopment of the Metro rail line between Sydenham and Bankstown will see 170 mechanical gap fillers fitted at its stations with curved platforms (all except Wiley Park and Bankstown). The mechanical platform gap fillers are being imported from South Korea, where they’re used on the metro rail network across Seoul.
At other stations across the city, rubber gap fillers are being installed to allow passengers a safe step on and off the train. These rubber gap fillers were first installed at Circular Quay back in 2021, and Sydney Trains has reportedly committed $9 million to fit them at a further 13 stations across Sydney.
In the meantime, keep your eyes on the prize when you’re moving from train to ground and vice versa – and maybe offer a hand to the elderly passenger getting off at Dulwich Hill.