Passengers in Sydney have noticed a major upgrade at several train platforms across the city to improve safety.
The Sydney Trains network has installed ‘rubber gap fillers’ at more than 20 station platforms.
The innovative product was introduced with the aim to reduce the number of falls and fatalities between the platform and train.
While passengers are told to ‘mind the gap’, accidently do occur. The innovation is strong enough to support a person’s weight if it’s stepped on.
It will also help reduce the number of personal items falling through the gap and onto the tracks.
New South Wales shared the update on the official Facebook page to alert locals.
‘If you’ve been seeing these spikey rubber things stuck on train station platforms around Sydney, this is what they’re all about!’ the post read.
‘These are “gap fillers”, and over the last three years they’ve been rolled at stations with the highest risk of falls through the gap.
The Sydney Trains network has installed ‘rubber gap fillers’ at more than 20 station platforms. The innovative product was introduced with the aim to reduce the number of falls and fatalities between platform and train
In 2023, approximately 450 people fell through the gap on platforms across the Sydney Trains network and more than 50 of those were at Redfern Station alone (Central Station, Sydney, pictured)
‘You might not know that some older platforms are curved, meaning a simple extension to accommodate various types of trains wouldn’t work, hence… the gap fillers!’ the post continued.
While some thought the upgrade was ‘obvious’ others praised the initiative.
‘Great idea, I’ve seen a couple of people slip down and get their legs stuck between the train and platform,’ one person commented.
‘Hopefully it will also help if someone drops items or their phone. I witnessed this happen a couple of times,’ another added.
Sydney Trains Executive Director of Engineering and Maintenance Nev Nichols said in February 2024: ‘There has not been a single fall through the gap recorded since the solution was installed at various platforms beginning in 2021.’
Mr Nichols said the latest installation took place at Redfern Station to ‘close the platform gap’ at hot spot locations on the Sydney Trains network.
In 2023, approximately 450 people fell through the gap on platforms across the Sydney Trains network and more than 50 of those were at Redfern Station alone.
