Calls for screen doors at stations

Many Beijingers have called for the installation of screen doors at Beijing's old subway stations after a man jumped onto the track Monday morning, bringing chaos to the city's peak commuting period.

The man jumped at Tian'anmen East station on subway Line 1 at around 7:55 am on Monday, according to the Beijing Subway Company. Media reports said that he jumped as the train was about to stop. The train driver stopped the train right after he jumped and the emergency rescue plan was implemented.

Eyewitnesses claimed that the man was in his 30s and no one pushed him. The subway between Tian'anmen East and Dongdan was without power until 8:11 am, while efforts were made to save the man.

He was taken to hospital. The reason he jumped is still under investigation.

Trains on subway Line 1 and the Batong Line were suspended for nearly 20 minutes.

Jia Peng, spokesman for the Beijing Subway Company, told METRO that the operation of the Beijing Subway was temporarily affected but it was back on track after the accident. He refused to reveal more information.

Many commuters were late for work due to the accident. A woman surnamed Zhang told Mirror Evening News on Monday, that she boarded a train at Sihuidong station Monday morning but all the passengers were asked to leave the train and change to other public transport when it arrived at Yonganli station.

Many commuters chose to take buses and taxis, leading to traffic jams in certain areas during peak time traffic. Jing Tao, who usually takes the Batong Line to work, said he was forced to take a taxi because it was impossible for him to get into the subway station.

"There were so many people waiting to get into the station at around 8 am. So I decided to take a taxi. But still, it took me 30 minutes more than usual on the road," he said.

Li Dongshuo, a frequent subway Line 1 commuter, said it's essential to have screen doors on subway Line 1, because it is one of the busiest subway lines in Beijing.

"Even if you don't jump off the station on purpose, you have a chance of being pushed into the tunnel," she told METRO on Monday.

In fact, Wan Jianzhong, a professor from the Beijing Normal University proposed the installation of subway screen doors to the Beijing municipal committee of the Chinese people's political consultative conference in 2009.

According to the Beijing Subway Company, around 70 subway stations on Line 1, Line 2, Line 13 and Batong Line are without screen doors. However, since subway Line 1 and Line 2 were designed in the 1960s and 1970s, there is no room on the platforms to install screen doors.

China Daily

(China Daily 07/27/2010 page25)