Death of teen sparks petition calling for action at Toorak railway station

A PETITION urging authorities to fix the gap between the train and platform at Heyington railway station is gaining momentum after a Glen Iris teenager was killed earlier this year.

A petition to close the gap at Heyington Station after a Glen Iris teenager was killed there earlier this year is going round... general shots of the station and signs.

A PETITION urging authorities to fix the gap between the train and platform at Heyington railway station is rapidly gaining momentum after a Glen Iris teenager was killed earlier this year.

Mitchell Callaghan was killed after he fell through a gap between the train and the platform at the Toorak station in February.

His girlfriend, Sarah Jansen, has set up the petition in a bid to raise awareness and get the gap fixed.

To date, the petition has 5199 signatures.

Public Transport Users Association member Tony Morton wrote on the online petition that the PTUA supported a full safety review at Heyington and in the short-term would like to see “better visual warnings, better lighting and platform staff to alert passengers to the hazard”.

IS THE STATION UNSAFE? HAVE YOUR SAY BELOW.

A close friend of Mitchell and the family, Alex Morse, wrote that he used to catch the train to and from Heyington station for six years while attending St Kevin’s College.

“The gap at the station is shocking, and with thousands of students using the platform daily, something needs to be done before another tragedy occurs.”

Jane Wharton from the UK wrote that she was “devastated” to hear of the death of “a much-loved cousin who I met during our visit to Australia ... in 2012”.

Public Transport Victoria spokesman Adrian Darwent said a risk review of the incident was being carried out in conjunction with Metro.

He said as investigations were continuing, the transport authority could not comment further on the matter.

A letter regarding the petition was tabled at a recent Stonnington Council meeting, but the council would not say whether it intended to support the campaign.

Click here to access the petition.