(The Associated Press circulated the following on May 16.)
NEW YORK — Reports of passenger accidents on the Long Island Rail Road have soared by nearly 67 percent in the last year, and those involving gaps between trains and platforms have more than tripled, the railroad said.
An LIRR report released Tuesday said the railroad recorded 135 accidents in the first three months of this year, compared to 81 in the same period last year. Some 39 of this year’s reports involved passengers slipping in platform gaps, compared to 12 last year.
The gaps have come under scrutiny since 18-year-old Natalie Smead of Northfield, Minn., died after falling through one last summer at an LIRR station in Woodside, Queens. A railroad spokeswoman said the increase in accident reports might reflect heightened awareness, rather than more accidents.
“We think that there is better reporting going on, on the part of our customers, who we hope are better aware of the gap, and also on the part of our employees,” said the spokeswoman, Susan McGowan.
Smead’s death is the only known fatality linked to the gaps, but a review by Newsday found the railroad has logged almost 900 gap-related incidents since 1995.
Since Smead’s death, the railroad has announced improvement plans for at least 100 of its roughly 260 platforms, which stretch from Manhattan to Montauk. Improvements have included realigning tracks, adding platform conductors and installing wooden boards to narrow the gaps.
Other steps have included a high-profile public relations campaign, announcements on platforms and trains warning of the danger, and redesigned “Watch the Gap” decals on train doors. The railroad also has stopped opening doors at parts of some stations where the gap is most severe.
In the latest effort, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s LIRR/Long Island Bus Committee agreed Tuesday to spend $427,000 to hire a firm, STV Inc., to analyze gap measurements at 226 platforms. The railroad plans to use the information to develop plans to narrow the gaps.