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LIRR eyes plan to fix the gap

BY COLLIN NASH | STAFF WRITER; Staff writer John Moreno Gonzales contributed to this story

August 12, 2006

The head of the Long Island Rail Road announced Friday new safety measures at Syosset station - identified as one of the stops with the widest gaps between the platform and the railroad car.

Flanked by state Sen. Carl Marcellino (R-Syosset) at the station, LIRR president James Dermody outlined a plan to install closed-circuit monitors along the platform, which because of its acute curvature has a 15-inch gap in some parts - twice the railroad standards.

The cameras would give motormen a panoramic view of the platform so if a rider falls through a gap, railroad personnel would keep the train from moving, Dermody said. While the railroad is still looking at so-called gap fillers, he said, the curved nature of some station platforms make them impractical. The plan also includes reprogramming the announcement system to remind riders to "Watch the Gap."

Dermody said the railroad will secure a $1.5-million state grant to pay for the cameras and it is eyeing them as a prototype. But, he said he didn't know when they would be installed because the setup and monitoring has to be determined.

Meanwhile, Nassau County Presiding Officer Judy Jacobs of Woodbury called Dermody's proposal unacceptable. "Syosset's gap problem needs more than the stopgap measure proposed by Dermody," Jacobs said in a statement. "We need the same protection that exists on many New York stations, where extensions come out from under the platforms to close the gap."

The safety measures come in the wake of the death of Natalie Smead, a Minnesota tourist hit by a train last weekend at the Woodside station. Smead, 18, fell through an 11-inch gap while stepping off a westbound train, authorities said. She attempted to cross under the platform but was struck by a train on the other side.

"We hope to learn from this tragic accident," said Dermody, adding that riders also must take steps to protect themselves. "The riding public must be aware and pay attention."

On Friday, a Mineola man with limited vision announced he has sued the LIRR after allegedly falling through a gap at the Mineola station last year. He said in a complaint filed June 15 he slipped on a broken and jagged section of the platform, causing him serious injuries.

Terrence Murphy, 40, a substitute professor at C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University and Adelphi University, said he was most frustrated with the railroad's inability to maintain the platform. "It's been many years but they still have done nothing about resolving the problem."

William Henderson, associate director of LIRR Commuters Council, said the safety measures being considered are a good first step. "Whether that is the whole answer at that station remains to be seen," he said.

Staff writer John Moreno Gonzales contributed

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