Central station platform height

[mark_from_briz]

Hi People

I catch the Cleveland train to central each day,
For as long as i can remember there is a quite large difference in the platform height to the train door height at central, its quite a step down.
This is a health and safety disaster  just waiting to happen.
I was wondering if anybody is aware of any plans to raise the platform heights to door level such as roma street.
I realise that there are lots of suburban stations that due to the era they were built will probably never be fixed but the main central station should be  as optimum for people as possible.

regards

Mark W

[ozbob]

Hi Mark,

I will raise this at a meeting I am going to next week.
See if there are some explanations and any indications if it will be addressed.

Cheers
Bob

[yobborobbo21]

Isnt this due to out of gauge trains using these lines?

[mark_from_briz]

Hi Mark,

I will raise this at a meeting I am going to next week.
See if there are some explanations and any indications if it will be addressed.

Cheers
Bob

Thanks Bob, that great

[O_128]

Aren't platforms 5 and 6 already at the right level? im pretty sure they are.Platforms 1-4 need to be leveled up but i highly duobt it woul be a one off thing they would completely refurbish the station.The step at central though is a very big drop compared to other stations.If central is to be upgraded would i be right in saying that all services would still stop there as there would still be 4 platforms at fortidude valley and roma street?I guess that the equivelant platforms at roma street would be closed as well!

[ButFli]

The whole central station needs to be refurbished along the lines of the recent work done on Brunswick St.

[mufreight]

On platform heights, no Yobborbbo 21 out of gauge operations are not the problem as the current electric stock is to the maximum loading gauge and there is no necessicity anyway for the operation of out of gauge loading through the Roma Street Bowen Hills section anyway.
Low platform heights make for longer station dwell times and yes they are an accident waiting to happen.
The argument put up by the spin doctors at QR and Translink that because many platforms are located on curved locations they can not be built to carriage floor height holds little validity as a look at platforms 5/6 at Central proves, these platforms are at carriage floor height and on curve.
It would seem that there is no real problem from an engineering point but it simply is a matter of cost.
Raising of the platform heights in fact improves the clerances for freight stock as when the coping is raised it is moved back, examples of this are obvious for all to see at Roma Street where on the curve the platforms are at a lower height and then have an obvious narrowing on the raised sections.
One must question as to which poses the greatest hazzard a step up of in some places 35 to 40 cm with a gap that a small child could easily slip through to the tracks or a 15cm gap between the carrage and platform at carriage floor level.
Of course one must remember that this is the smart state which raises the question why was the platform height not raised during the refurbsishment of Brunswick Street, Indoorpilly and Ipswich stations, at Brunswick Street they somewhat belatedly put in humps raising the platform height to meet disability access standards at the middle of the train, did nothing at Indoorpilly despite spending hundreds of thousands of dollars for disability access, and nothing at all on the platforms at Ipswich.
Have they raised platform heights at the new stations on the northern line duplication, who knows, will they raise the platform heights at Darra and Oxley when they refurbish them and what about the now under construction station at Richlands?

[yobborobbo21]

I dont think there is a need to raise platforms, total waste of money. Only the stupid nanny state nuts wants everyone protected from everything. I think there are more important issues to talk about like increasing services and building more trains!

[mufreight]

Re Yobborobbo 21 comments on platform heights.
It is proven fact that a platform at carriage floor height reduces dwell times by between 30 - 35%, the safety factor is increased and if all platforms were to be raised it would further reduce times as guards would not be required to assist handicaped or disabled persons the board or exit trains which is the main justification for retaining guards on the existing services. 
If guards were removed from trains then without any increase in staff numbers existing service levels could be doubled, 15 minute frequencies instead of 30 minute operated by driver only trains as in Perth.
In terms of cost there is no practical or logical reason why when stations are refurbished or new platforms are constructed platforms can not be provided at carriage floor height.
next argument please.
Oh as a final reason why they should be raised one legal claim for injury could in legal costs alone cost the government more than the costs involved in raising a platform without any damages that might be awarded.

[stephenk]

 I'm a fit, healthy, and sporty(ish) person, and still managed to re-injure my ACL stepping off a London Underground train where there was an unusually large drop to the platform.

So in my opinion platforms should be at train floor height wherever it's financially and practically possible.

[Arnz]

The stations on the South Coast Line past Beenleigh to Robina are all high platform, some of them are slightly on curve and passengers has no problems.

As for Robina services, possibly only Loganlea Station needs to either raise their platform and/or increase station attendance hours.  Coopers Plains, iirc was built as High Platform on its recent refurbishment.

Apart from that. with Bowen Hills and Eagle Junction attended for most of the day and evening for the part, perhaps a suggestion is to look at Airport to Robina services being DOO (Driver Only Operation), freeing up guards/drivers for increased services elsewhere on the Citytrain network.

[ozbob]

Howdy,

The new platform at Oxley has started (see here for photos --> click! )

Looking at it this morning it appears to be a full height, that is higher than the present platforms at Oxley ...  

Interesting ...

Cheers
Bob

[yobborobbo21]

It will be interesting to see if all platform heights get raised then see how many people will fall between the gap

[yobborobbo21]

Re Yobborobbo 21 comments on platform heights.
It is proven fact that a platform at carriage floor height reduces dwell times by between 30 - 35%, the safety factor is increased and if all platforms were to be raised it would further reduce times as guards would not be required to assist handicaped or disabled persons the board or exit trains which is the main justification for retaining guards on the existing services. 
If guards were removed from trains then without any increase in staff numbers existing service levels could be doubled, 15 minute frequencies instead of 30 minute operated by driver only trains as in Perth.
In terms of cost there is no practical or logical reason why when stations are refurbished or new platforms are constructed platforms can not be provided at carriage floor height.
next argument please.
Oh as a final reason why they should be raised one legal claim for injury could in legal costs alone cost the government more than the costs involved in raising a platform without any damages that might be awarded.

Well lets got further,
time to get rid of escalators and install travelators, remove stairways as people are way too fat and lazy to walk up and down them, install more elevators, one day we might have slaves to help us around so we wont need to walk

On the legal claims: well people are gonna sue over anything as we are more like americans everyday so its gonna happen.

If only we werent all a bunch of greedy whingers, we could still have trains with doors wide open like how the Melbourne Harris and Hitachi used to be like 25yrs ago

[mark_from_briz]

Hmm I dont get the whole stair thing at Central.
Whats with the one escalator going up, the middle wide stairs and the narrow stairs on the other side.
Looks like there should have been two escalators on each side and stairs in the centre..

Two escalators going up in the morning, reversed in the afternoon and a central stair split into upgoing on the left and down going on the right would be good...
oh and i do take the stairs.... though sometime i feel like a salmon swimming up stream LOL

[mufreight]

Well Yobborobbo21, I am most happy to hear that you are in the peak of physical condition and that you have no problems with the difference in height between platform and carriage floor, but there many who do have considerable problems as a consequence,
little old ladies who are barely able to board a train or get off one, mothers with young children or babies in strollers, those with disabilities who have no choice but to use public transport.
Perhaps your solution would be that they all be denied access to public transport such as rail, as to the litigation aspect of duty of care, yes people are more inclined to want to blame someone if they are hurt or disadvantaged in some way but I wonder how you would feel if it was your young child who slipped under the carriage doorway and was hurt as a consequence or your mother who sustained a broken hip in a fall trying to board a train.
The name of the game is to make public transport as user friendly as possible for all users and there is an obligation under duty of care that it be safe and not cause injury or disadvantage any person using it.