NYC Is On Pace For Nearly 100 Subway Deaths In 2013
In 2012, 54 people were killed, a five-year high.
The recent surge of deaths — including three on January 19 — has garnered the attention of Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, who wants an in-depth investigation into subway-related casualties by the Office of the MTA Inspector General.
In a press release, Stringer called for an analysis of safety programs used in transit systems around the world, including platform barriers.
The Metropolitan Transit Authority has considered installing such barriers, but said their installation would be "expensive and extremely challenging."
Barriers would not be a perfect solution in any case, John Samuelson, head of the Transport Workers Union, told CBS, because they could prevent workers on the tracks from climbing to safety on the platform if "something catastrophic happened."
After an attempted suicide by train in Brooklyn on Sunday morning, Stringer renewed his call for an investigation, saying, "This is a troubling and dangerous trend with serious implications for the millions of commuters who ride the subway each day."
The Office of the MTA Inspector General did not reply to a request for comment.