Lawmaker: Subway Deaths a “Wake-Up Call”

A lawmaker says a spate of recent deaths on subway tracks should be "a wake-up call to our transit system."

City Council Transportation Committee Chairman James Vacca made the remark at a hearing Thursday on safety the subways.

MTA officials say they're working toward testing barriers on platform edges and technology that sounds alarms when someone or something is on the tracks.

The subway drivers' union has suggested lower speed limits for trains entering stations. The MTA says that would lengthen commutes and make platforms more crowded.

Fifty-five people died last year after they were pushed, fell or jumped onto the tracks, up from 47 in 2011, according to the MTA. The numbers are small compared to the 1.6 billion subway rides taken each year.

Two recent pushing deaths, one in Queens and another in Manhattan, have drawn attention.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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