Metro Northwest platforms fitted with glass doors to save lives

Australian-first glass safety doors, designed to save lives on train platforms, have been installed at every new station on Sydney’s Metro Northwest line. WATCH THE VIDEO TO SEE HOW IT WORKS.

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Australian-first glass safety doors, designed to save lives on train platforms, have been installed at every new station on Sydney’s Metro Northwest line.

With the $8.3 billion service expected to open in May, major work on the 13 stations between Rouse Hill and Chatswood has now been completed with the driverless trains to be tested along the line from this week.

Transport Minister Andrew Constance said the safety barriers, which stretch 4.5km when placed end-to-end, were “the last piece of the puzzle”.

This is what the Metro Northwest platforms will look like once the safety doors have been installed. Picture: Supplied

Driverless trains will be tested on the line this week. Picture: Supplied

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“There is nothing more tragic than a life lost in a rail corridor,” he said.

“We don’t want to see people hit by trains. This is about saving people from the risks associated with trains pulling up at stations.

“We’ve seen horrific footage over the years of prams just rolling off platforms — all sorts of things.”

The final barriers are being installed at Macquarie University Station. Picture: Supplied

The doors will move commuters on and off platforms faster and reduce delays. Picture: Supplied

Nearly 500 passengers fell from trains or through platform gaps in the 2017/18 financial year, resulting in 300 injuries. In the same period, 27 people were killed.

The new glass platform doors only open and close when the train doors are aligned with them.

At the three new underground stations — Norwest, Castle Hill and Hills Showground — the doors reach the ceiling, allowing the platforms to be heated and cooled.

Mr Constance said the “tried and tested technology” would move commuters on and off platforms faster and reduce delays caused by accidents and deaths.

doors only open and close when the train doors are aligned with them.

“There is an enormous frustration we see on the existing heavy rail network where because you might have an incident on one part … it flows right through the network,” he said.

“It’s going to make a world of difference.”

The final safety barriers were installed at Macquarie University Station and Sydney Metro will be the first Australian railway to use them. Each barrier is 170m-long and made of 64 pieces of glass and 18 doors.

Mr Constance said the Northwest project was as least $500 million under budget with “savings” to be injected into the next stage of the Metro between Chatswood and Bankstown.

“This is the signature project of the state,” he said.

“What it means is if there’s disruption on the Sydney trains network, the Metro networks will be there carrying the weight too.”

The Berejiklian government will heavily promote the new Sydney Metro as one of its key projects ahead of the state election on March 23.

Originally published as Metro Northwest platforms fitted with glass doors to save lives