Weeks after two subway passengers were pushed to their deaths in separate incidents, one in Queens and another in Manhattan, officials on Monday discussed boosting safety efforts in the nation's busiest subway system.
An awareness campaign was presented at the monthly MTA board meeting. Measures include announcements in English and other languages warning riders not to stand at platform edges.
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.
Former Gov. David Paterson, who is on the MTA board, noted that most subway fatalities are suicides and are difficult to prevent.
Still, given the recent deaths, the MTA is being urged to try a more elaborate and expensive option: glass safety barriers. Although such barriers could be a difficult addition to a system that that dates back 108 years.
Subway systems from Shanghai and Dubai to Paris have installed safety doors over the last three decades.
New York City Transit President Thomas Prendergast said it would cost $1.5 million per station, or $1 billion for the entire system.
Another possibility would be alarms that sound when someone crosses the yellow danger line.
