LIRR installing plates on trains to shrink gaps

The Long Island Rail Road will begin attaching metal plates at the base of each door on all of its newer M-7 electric trains in October at a cost of about $2,811 per door, officials said Wednesday.

[StandardizedTest]

Wow! Newsday must really hate the LIRR.
How many times are they gonna cover this stupid gap story????

[tmptjohn88]

easy soultion to save money on this project, instead of moving the loop steps put the metal plate on a hinge. that will make it so the loop steps do not have to be replaced and will bring the cost down to something more reasonable.

[Casey Jones]

I've been riding the L.I.R.R. for over half a century. Years ago we didn't have dunces and dolts with phones and iPods stuck in their ears 24 hours a day. Nobody fell into a "gap" because people looked where they were stepping and could function as responsible adults while out-of-doors.

I can only imagine the massive death and destruction if the old low platforms were still in existence and commuters had to navigate stairs to get on and off their train.

[Have another round]

Casey Jones wrote:

I can only imagine the massive death and destruction if the old low platforms were still in existence and commuters had to navigate stairs to get on and off their train.

The horror!

[Jane from Babylon]

i see many, many delays due to malfunctioning steel plates. And much inconvenience when trains are removed from service for their installation. All for morons who ride the train once every 6 years and are too stupid to watch where they are walking and also due to the "suitin" crowd. Newsday should gear up to report more LIRR parking lot trip and falls--and/or people on the platform who instead of waiting will stick their feet into the sliding plate as it is moving.

[Tommy]

Casey Jones said it best... you cant be that dumb that you fall into a gap. I have no sympathy for these people.

[Nothing for free]

Perhaps the money for the plates would be better spent if we used them to whack dumb passengers in the head, so as to remove some of the empty space in their brain.

[backatcha]

Who wants to bet MORE commuters trip and sue than actually fall into the gap with this idea?

The gap was never a problem... Today's society is the problem!

[sheesh]

Maybe now Newsday can finally quit shoving their pet non-story down everyone's throats. And it only took several years and a zillion dollars.

[nicholelibra]

3 grand per repair? It's called peripheral vision. If you're too stupid to look down before you walk that's your problem.

[Jim]

It's about time that the LIRR is doing something about this. I've been falling into the gap every morning for the last 3 years. In the afternoon, I crawl onto the train to make sure I don't fall into the gap. By the next morning, I've forgotten about it again.

[Ant]

When is the LIRR going to admit that the m7 trains are smaller, creating the larger gag. bring back the old trains

[ABC]

The cost will be covered by a new ticket price increase.
YOU WANTED IT YOU GOT IT

[Observer]

To the MTA Board, VOTE THIS DOWN!!

To the riding public, be responsible

[Johann Sebastian Bunk]

On Wednesday the Long Island committee of the MTA board voted to award a $9.4-million contract to Bombardier Transportation of Canada to do the work. With 836 M-7s making up the bulk of the LIRR fleet, that comes out to about $11,244 per car. Each car has four doors.

Ridiculous! For years and years people climbed stairs from the station platform to the car level. Somehow, we all survived. This whole "gap" thing is a crock. Because some idiots can't lift thier feet, thousands of riders, and even the non-riders will suffer through even higher fares. And you KNOW the costs will be passed on. This generation is a bunch of WIMPS.

[Ryck]

Just like I question the intelligence of the MTA for creating the gap problem and keeping the gap problem for decades, I question the intelligence of the MTA on this "solution" to the gap problem.

Let me see if I got this straight: They are sending not hardly a handful trains out-of-state to install a 2 inch heated bar under each door for how many millions?

Firstly, will a 2 inch piece of extension make a difference with 12 inch gaps? Ok, maybe you won't fall through. You'll just get firmly stuck between train and platform when the train starts to roll again.

Secondly, why can't the MTA come up with something better?

Thirdly, don't the trains have to go into the yard for periodic inspections and maint? What a great time to do this work. How long does it take a highly paid union worker to install a door extension?

After all these years of wrangling, this is what they come up with?

Sheesh! I'm almost grateful that it is better than nothing!!!

[LI Guy]

Why don't they just attach a 2 by 4 using Mighty Putty just below the door opening.

[Tom]

20 year commuter on the LIRR. How stupid do you have to be to fall into the gap? Come on people, start looking where you're walking.

[Rich]

Ant wrote:

When is the LIRR going to admit that the m7 trains are smaller, creating the larger gag. bring back the old trains

I was gonna say that the newer trains are smaller. This problem didnt come around until the new trains arrived.

[Keyboard Commando]

Is there a gap problem? I've never read about this before in newsday. If anybody wants to discuss this new issue, I'll be down at CBGB, having a beer.