(Newsday posted the following article by Jennifer Maloney on its website on November 1.)
NEW YORK — Three months after a Minnesota tourist died after falling through a gap at the Long Island Rail Road station in Woodside, officials said yesterday they now plan to shrink the gap there by shifting tracks closer to the platform.
The Woodside work, set to begin Saturday, comes as the railroad faces increasing criticism for gap-related injuries and the death of Natalie Smead, 18, on Aug. 5.
The railroad also recently added the Southampton and Rosedale stops to those slated for track adjustments: Adjustments at Rosedale began on Oct. 24 and work at Southampton was completed on Oct. 25.
The LIRR began shifting tracks closer to platforms in late September at the Shea Stadium stop, but Woodside initially did not appear on the list of stations slated for gap-related track work. LIRR spokeswoman Susan McGowan said yesterday that she did not know why Woodside has been added to the list.
The railroad is prioritizing stations according to the severity of gaps, the number of incidents at each station and the ability to do track work without disrupting service, LIRR acting president Ray Kenny said in a recent interview.
“The work is a priority right now,” McGowan said.
LIRR, state and federal officials began investigating the gap issue after Smead’s death and a Newsday investigation that found gaps as wide as 15 inches at some stations – twice the railroad’s standard minimum gap of 7 to 8 inches.
Smead fell through a gap as she stepped out of a train at Woodside, where Newsday measurements showed a gap stretching as wide as 11 inches. She crawled beneath the concrete platform and was struck by a train on the other side.
Her parents last week filed a $5 million lawsuit against the railroad. McGowan declined to say whether the work at Woodside was prompted by the lawsuit.
MTA chairman Peter Kalikow last week praised Kenny, who recently was appointed as acting president, for coming up with the “simple solution” of moving tracks to narrow gaps.
Asked why the railroad didn’t try this solution years ago, LIRR officials said they had been balancing the competing needs of keeping gaps narrow and allowing enough room for trains to pass platforms safely.
“Now we’re seeing there’s more we can do,” Kenny said.
LIRR officials have yet to disclose the cost of the track adjustments. Asked repeatedly for the price tag, officials have said they cannot calculate the cost because most of the work is being funded through the railroad’s regular track maintenance budget. The adjustments at Jamaica were financed with capital funds.
McGowan said railroad officials are focusing on fixing gaps before they analyze how much the track adjustments cost.