NEW YORK—After a series of recent deaths on subway tracks, the MTA board said it will explore using detection technology previously considered only for security.
Six deaths in the subway have happened in the last month, including several suicides, the most recent on Jan. 22 at Times Square. The others were classified as accidents, which include slipping off the platform or being pushed. In 2012, out of 141 accidents, 55 ended in deaths.
Platform screen doors, an oft-cited solution, would cost an estimated billion-plus dollars. The many obstacles to constructing screens include the different curves of the platforms in different stations, and columns almost right next to the tracks in others.
Besides the problems, “It’s not a silver bullet,” said Thomas Prendergast, acting president of the MTA’s New York City Transit.
