Wide step onto train risky alert
A lifelong Berala resident, 86-year-old Ray Coady says he often sees older people with trolleys, mothers with strollers and others really struggling to manage both the width and the steep angle as they step in and out of the train.
“The first two carriages are the worst, the gap is bigger there and they are the ones which stop closest to the lift,” he said.
“That’s where most people who need to use the lift get in and out and they are the ones least able to manage the gap.”
A single customer was recorded as slipping in the gap at Berala in the past 12 months and a Sydney Trains spokesperson said the gap “is not the same distance at every station, and can be affected by the curve of the rail line and the type of train”
He said all customers are encouraged to take care when getting on and off trains, with boarding ramps available for all trains and platforms at boarding assistance zones and staff were happy to help.
Mr Coady’s warning came as parents were being encouraged to maintain close supervision of their children while travelling on trains over the school holidays.
Minister for Transport and Roads, Andrew Constance, said close to 200 children were injured in the past 12 months across the Sydney Trains network.
“As a parent I know how hard it can be to juggle travel with young children, but a simple thing such as holding your child’s hand when moving around stations and boarding a train can help prevent them from being seriously injured or worse,” he said.
Sydney Trains chief executive Howard Collins also urged parents not to rush around stations or platforms.
